Not the Only Ghost Around
by Anubis Enfield
Summary: I shakily reached a hand up and pulled it over the short, two-block cut of curly brown hair as I looked at unfamiliar dark eyes. This can't be right. T-This isn't me. I had blonde hair, green eyes. I-I was short, not this slim stick height! What the hell happened! And I can see ghosts!
1. Chapter 1

**A reviewer on one of my other Ghost Hunt fanfics asked if i could do one with someone who died and ended up in Ghost Hunt. and i did it... tada :P**

* * *

 _Oh no. No, no, no, no, no! T-This is…_ I shakily reached a hand up and pulled it over the short, two-block cut of curly brown hair as I looked at unfamiliar dark eyes. _This can't be right. T-This isn't me. I had blonde hair, green eyes. I-I was short, not this slim stick height! What the hell happened?!_

 _ **The sound of crunching metal.**_

 _ **Water slowly rising up.**_

 _ **The burn of salt water filling my lungs.**_

I coughed, doubling over just at the thought and clutching at my throat as realization dawned on me.

"I-I… died. I remember dying, so why…"

I turned away from the mirror and scrambled through the room I was in, turning it inside out to figure out what the hell was going on. _Hisoka Yuu. Japan? I'm in Japan? And this… this is this person's body? But how…_ I flopped back onto the bed as tears pooled in my eyes and I sniffed.

"I d-died."

 _Mom, Ashton, Mickey… they're going to be devastated._ I curled up in a ball, rolling onto my side and sobbed for hours until I'd run out of tears. I had died, swerving to avoid the undoubtedly drunk driver of an incoming semi on the way to town from our summer cabin. Then, an alarm went off and I sat up to look at it. _What…_ I picked up Yuu's— _No, it's mine now, isn't it?_ —phone, flipping past the lock screen despite not having the slightest idea what the pin was. But this body knew. Just as it recognized the people on my wallpaper as my friends, but one face nearly had me dropping the phone in shock as my mind supplied the name.

"Taniyama Mai." I muttered. "Y-You're kidding, right? This is some sick joke, yeah? I-I can't be…"

I swallowed thickly, shaking my head and checking my alarm title. _School… I have to go to school._ My heart sank at the thought of repeating another dozen years of schooling after having just finished getting my degree in Criminal Psychology before… _Before I died._ I scowled, tightening my grip on my phone before dropping it and slapping both my cheeks.

"No. Stop this. I died, so what? I'm alive now—different person or not—and I need to move on. Accept it. This is how I'm going to be."

I took a deep breath and stood, raising my chin and nodding. I wouldn't forget about my old family, but dwelling on something that can't change was just stupid in my books. So I went and showered, changing into the required uniform and silently questioning how Yuu had managed to convince the principal to allow her to wear the male uniform until the answer slipped into my mind. _Ah, Yuu's pretty clever to point out the flaw in the school handbook that says 'uniforms are mandatory' but not that girls have to wear the girl's uniform. Which is fine by me. I've always been a pants person._ I went out of my room and paused though, rather surprised by the fact that my 'home' was a single bedroom apartment.

"Wha… but I thought…"

I remembered one of Yuu's memories from long ago of her caretaker informing her that she'd been abandoned as a child by her mother and her other family was nonexistent. _Orphan then. Somewhat privileged if I can afford my own place, though if I remember right, Mai has similar issues. The school's helping us pay for the apartments so long as we get decent grades._ I shook my head, moving to the kitchen and grabbing the bento box Yuu had made the night before which made me pause. _Does that mean Yuu's still in me somewhere? Or did I… did I kill her?_

"No. Nope. Shut up, brain. Now's not the time." I grumbled to myself, heading to the door to start walking.

The school wasn't far and only took me a few moments before I was in the gates and heading to my seat by the window. _All the cool kids get the window seats._ I mused idly, staring out at the old school building with a frown. _I'm in 'Ghost Hunt'. Near the beginning too, if that building's still there. But man, what kind of sick joke is this? Who drops a dead chick into someone else in a Japanese series about the paranormal? If I don't get found out within the day, I'll be shocked._ I blinked then, seeing a small sparrow on the window seal with empty sockets for eyes. I jumped to my feet, heart pounding and the color draining from my face. _W-Wha—_ A hand touched my arm then, making me flinch away from the person only to see Mai's concerned face looking at me in worry.

"Are you okay, Yuu?"

"Y-Yeah, I just…" I looked back at the window, but the bird flew off and I relaxed minutely. "It's nothing. Just thought I saw something."

"Oh." She lowered her voice then, leaning in slightly. "Was it another ghost?"

I turned to her in mild surprise, forcing myself to hide it when she looked at me. _Ghosts. I can see ghosts too? Great. Least she seems alright with it._ _Still, I won't press the issue. It'd be best if I just forgot about it._

'Yeah, just a… bird." I muttered, slowly sitting back down again as she sat in the chair next to me.

"Oh, I forgot." She said suddenly, making me turn to her in confusion. "I promised to go out with you for taiyaki tomorrow, didn't I?"

 _I don't know, but even my old self loved those pancake fish._

She clapped her hands together and bowed her head. "I'm sorry! I'm supposed to help Naru tomorrow morning."

"I-It's fine." I said, the sound of Naru making me hesitate.

 _Not that early then. Tomorrow's Sunday too, so the whole mess with the school building should be finished up by then._

"I know! You can come with me! We could use the extra help since we'll probably just be moving equipment around. You're strong."

I sweatdropped and she waved her hands back and forth.

"I-I mean, you don't have to. We can just reschedule."

I shook my head. "No, it's fine. I'll join you."

 _Honestly, I'm surprised she hasn't noticed I'm not Yuu. We must have been similar enough in personalities that it doesn't show. Still, I feel bad at how quickly I'm just settling in and accepting this. Maybe I'll have a psychotic break later this week or something… God, I'm a mess._ I sighed and dropped my head into my hands, missing the worried look Mai sent me as the teacher came in and class began.

* * *

The rest of that day had been rough. I ended up returning to the apartment after school and promptly dealing with a sudden bout of depression, only to wake up the next morning after a nightmare of my death and possibly two hours of sleep to feel suddenly _very_ out of place. It took me a while to orientate myself to the situation I was being forced to deal with, and when Mai showed up to take me with her to bother Naru, I was sure I must have been quite the sight.

"Yuu! You look horrible!"

I blinked slowly at her, slouching tiredly with my toothbrush sticking out of my mouth. "Gimme a minute." I mumbled, turning back to head into the bathroom as she let herself in.

I finished and made sure to grab the strong black coffee I'd started up earlier; taking three thermoses of it to ensure I'd be awake for the next dozen hours.

"Are you alright? We can do this some other time if you're not feeling up to it."

"I'm fine." I countered, pulling a hand through my hair with a sigh. "I just had a bad night, that's all. I actually think getting out right now would help."

"Well, if you're sure."

We chitchatted idly on the way to the old school building about Naru mostly and what she'd been up to with that group of psychics and monks and such.

"Maybe they can give you some advice for the stuff you see." She offered and I winced.

"Actually, I'd rather they didn't know."

"Hm, yeah. I mean, Kuroda is saying she's feeling spirits and stuff too and it's brought her some… not so great attention at school. I can see why you wouldn't like anyone to know." She mused. "I just thought that since they're professionals they might be able to help or something."

"It's fine." I shrugged, rubbing at my arm where I'd discovered three long scars wrapping around the back of my elbow and over my upper arm.

 _Remnants of pissing off a ghost at some point, according to Yuu's memories. Nasty business that made her rather reluctant to get involved in the paranormal._ I shivered and tugged my coat closer around me as we approached the school building. Mai led the way upstairs to the base they'd set up, calling out.

"Naru? Naru, are you there?"

"I think I saw a van outside." I pointed out. "We should check there."

"Alright." She nodded and sure enough, Naru was sleeping in the back. "Naru! You're going to catch a cold, sleeping in here."

He slowly woke up, making Mai's cheeks redden as he looked up. "Mai, what are you doing here this early in the morning?"

"Ah, early in the morning? It's already past eleven." She said, more than a little flustered. "Ah! Would you like a cup of coffee?"

"Sure." He muttered and she elbowed me in the side, making me scowl as I reached into my pack and reluctantly open up one of my thermoses of coffee.

"It's black." I muttered, pouring him some into the lid before handing it over and drinking right from the thermos.

His eyes narrowed, but he tried it and it seemed to suit his tastes well enough, but of course, he looked suspiciously at me then.

"Ah, right. Naru, this is Hisoka Yuu. Yuu, this is Shibuya Kazuya."

I lifted a hand in greeting, preoccupied with drinking my coffee as I spotted the empty eyed bird watching us from a tree nearby. _God, that's creepy._

"I promised her we'd get taiyaki today and instead of rescheduling, she was willing to help here for a bit beforehand." Mai explained, before questioning him. "Did you find out anything last night?"

"Yeah." He answered, still looking at me for a moment, then he turned back to her and rattled off an explanation about there being no ghosts but foundation problems instead.

Of course she was stunned and the rest of the group decided to show up then.

"What's going on, boyo? You're already packing up?" Bou-san questioned, before spotting me. "And who's this?"

"Mai's friend." He said, brushing it off quickly. "And yes, I'm packing up."

"You must be kidding?! Why?!"

"I have decided that this case is closed." Naru replied, gathering some papers.

"Did you exorcise?"

"No, I didn't."

He handed the papers to Bou-san who flipped through them confused as I leaned over and took a peek as well.

"What's this?"

"A level scale graph. This building sank more than 0.2 inches just overnight."

"What?!"

"Land subsidence?!"

The others tried to get closer looks as well and Ayako turned to Naru in shock.

"That's it? The psychic phenomenon was caused by this?"

Naru explained. "This whole development was built on top of damp ground. Based on the number of wells that I checked, directly underneath the school there is a big water vein running through. There are two other wells, but when I checked for the amount of water in them, they were both empty. So that's what's going on."

" _What_ is going on?" Mai questioned confused and I pointed to the graph on the paper to explain.

"The school was built on wet soil and now that the water is evaporating, that soil is drying up and becoming more compact. The space where the water used to be is just air now, so the weight of the school is pressing down on that and slowly sinking. Because of that, the building is probably shifting and distorting."

Naru nodded. "Exactly."

"Then that's what would have caused the chair to move and the ceiling to collapse." Mai concluded.

"Precisely. The classroom floor on the West side is three inches lower than the one on the East side."

"That's a big gap."

"And that rapping sound?" Ayako questioned and I spoke up again.

"Probably wood creaking."

Naru sighed. "The area around this building should be declared unsafe to enter. Sooner or later this building will collapse."

He got up and started to head into the building; Mai and us following. Myself, if only to help move his equipment and get my taiyaki. Kuroda showed up then though and upon Naru explaining his answer to her, she promptly flipped out about it.

"That's fine, but it still doesn't explain the day I was attack!"

"Perhaps it was a floating spirit that likes to follow you around." Naru said bluntly, but Kuroda was insistent.

"I still think that there are spirits here."

"No, there aren't. The research has proven that there's nothing here."

"It may just be that you can't perceive it." She pressed and I could practically hear Naru's patience snap.

"Then you should exorcise it yourself. I've decided that my job is done, so I'm leaving."

Kuroda huffed and went to leave, but I winced and brought a hand to my head. Black and violet smoke trailed around her before I blinked and it was gone. It was then though, that I remembered what happened and I hurried towards Mai as the windows started to crack.

"Mai! Get away from the windows!"

She stopped, turning to me in confusion as I pushed her towards Naru and reached out to grab Kuroda's arm before pulling her away from the windows as they shattered. I quickly handed her off to Mia, wincing at a sudden pain in the hand that had been holding her arm as the loud banging started up.

"Is it collapsing?" Naru muttered, but then the door started slamming open and closed and he tugged Mai towards the set of windows going outside. "Let's get out of here! It's not safe anymore!"

He went to brush aside the remaining glass, but I grabbed his hand and stopped him. He frowned, but before he could retort I took off my coat and wrapped it around my hand as I removed any troublesome glass shards and laid it over the bottom sill should I have missed anything.

"Go on! Hurry up!"

The four of us climbed out and moved to the front of the building where the others had gathered to look at the building in shock.

"Incredible."

Mai and Ayako turned to Kuroda.

"Are you alright?"

"You're bleeding. Let me see your hand."

Bou-san though, was more focused on Naru. "So what was that all about? You're gonna tell me all that was caused by the land sinking? That, my friend, was definitely a poltergeist!"

Ayako agreed. "Not only did we hear the building warp, but we also heard someone banging on the wall!"

They continued to argue against Naru's theory before walking off, upsetting Mai in the process.

"What was that? All of a sudden they're acting like buddies." She complained. "Naru, what are we going to do?"

He remained quiet and then began to walk off as well.

"Na—"

"Go take care of Kuroda. I just… I just need to be alone for a while. I hate myself so much that it makes me sick."

"Oi." I snipped, making him pause. "I think you're right, so stop this stupid talk about hating yourself, idiot."

I swore he smiled before he left, but because he was facing away from me, I couldn't be certain. All I knew was that the day would only drag on from here.

"Come on, Mai. We better start moving his equipment."

"R-Right…"

* * *

"Mai, I set up the tape recorder on the second floor like you asked." I hummed, rubbing at my bandaged hand after Mai had noticed I was bleeding earlier.

"Stop rubbing at it." She scolded before we heard a noise and we both turned to the sound. "Naru?"

Kuroda stepped out instead though and I frowned lightly.

"How's it going?" She asked.

"Well, since you left, the monk and miko have both performed exorcisms. We're just making sure everything is okay."

"Where's Shibuya-san?"

Mai huffed. "I have no idea. I wonder if evil spirits are really here."

"I saw one." Kuroda insisted and Mai hesitated.

"That's right. You mentioned that." She glanced at me then, asking for silent confirmation as to whether or not spirits were here, I'm assuming, and I shook my head before someone came downstairs.

"Oh." Ayako smirked. "Playtime is over. You kids should go home. The exorcism was a success."

 _Calling me a kid, please. If it weren't for the fact that I_ died _she wouldn't be calling me a kid._ I mentally scoffed.

"You shouldn't count your chickens before they hatch." I grumbled as Mai agreed.

"She's right. You said that last time."

"This time we're sure." Ayako insisted and I rolled my eyes.

"Don't people usually wait to see if nothing more happens before being certain an exorcism is successful? Just because nothing happened in a few minutes doesn't mean it worked." I drawled. "Besides, if there's no spirits here to begin with, then it _would_ look successful, wouldn't it?"

"Why you—"

"No. Spirits are still here." Kuroda cut Ayako off. "I can feel it. There are many spirits still here."

"Playing your psychic game again? Cut it out." Ayako scoffed. "Leave it to the professionals."

"Yeah, professionals who can't exorcise something that's not even there." I muttered under my breath to Mai as Bou-san headed over with a grin.

"Rest assured, Ayako may have blown it, but I did it right."

"How dare you?!" Ayako shouted and I sighed as they started up another argument.

"I'm just being honest."

"Will you knock it off?!"

"No, you."

"Are you _trying_ to take all the credit?!"

There was a sudden tapping that made everyone go silent, sounding like steps upstairs. I frowned, eyeing the ceiling, but said nothing as Mai grabbed my sleeve.

"Is someone up there?" Ayako questioned.

"No way! All of us are here."

The steps continued until there was a louder 'bang' and everything went quiet. Determined, Bou-san dashed up the stairs and Mai shivered.

"Is there someone here?"

"No, there can't be." Ayako insisted, making her angry.

"Wait, there can't be?! I know I heard it! Everyone else heard it! And Takigawa-san heard it too, right?!"

"It was just the wind."

"That's ridiculous! Why don't you admit that this exorcism failed too?! You were so arrogant earlier when you were lecturing Naru, but did Naru try to give you lame excuses like you're giving us?! Why don't you guys try acting like adults?!"

There was more banging and steps and I cursed under my breath.

"Oi! We need to go now! It's unsafe!"

I ushered Kuroda and the others out, but made sure to stick by Mai just as the shoe rack began to fall.

"Mai!"

"Look out!"

I grunted as I rammed into the shoe rack, preventing it from falling on top of Mai—who was unconscious now—before Bou-san hurried over and helped me stand it upright again.

"T-Thanks." I said with a cringe, back throbbing.

But the building went on making noise and Bou-san scooped up Mai and helped me along as best he could to get us out of the building. I sighed in relief once we were outside and he laid Mai down in the back of Naru's van; myself taking a seat on the edge gingerly.

"You alright?" He asked, concerned. "That shoe rack was pretty heavy."

"I'm fine. I'll ice my back later."

Ayako though stomped over with her hands on her hips. "That was reckless! Come on, I'll check your back."

"W-What?" I stuttered out, embarrassed as Bou-san ushered John away so Ayako could continue her assault.

"You heard me! Shirt up!"

I went to argue some more, but the look in her eyes even had the near thirty-year-old me begrudgingly giving in. I turned and allowed her to carefully lift up the back of my shirt and I felt her fingers lightly touch my tender back, making me hiss in pain.

"Oi, that _hurts_."

"You'll definitely need to ice it and no more heavy-lifting for a while either. Honestly, what were you thinking?"

I scowled, tugging down my shirt as the others headed back. "I was _thinking_ that I didn't want Mai getting hurt."

Bou-san smiled, ruffling my hair and making me glare at him for doing so. "Probably a good thing she did too. Mai could have seriously been hurt if that shoe rack fell on her."

"Then _you_ can go get an ice pack for her." Ayako chided him and he sighed, begrudgingly heading to go and taking John with him as I called out.

"And bring me back some taiyaki!"

* * *

Mai had ended up waking a while later and apologized about us completely missing out on our taiyaki outing, but I reassured her it was fine before we headed our separate ways. The next morning, I was sore beyond belief, groaning at how my soft, cushiony bed felt like I'd been sleeping on solid rock all night. Mai saw my half-conscious self wander into class that morning and quickly apologized for everything.

"I'm so, so sorry." She repeated again, looking me over in concern. "How bad is it?"

"Not bad enough for you to keep apologizing for. I'm more tired than anything, really. I haven't been sleeping well lately. Nightmares." I grumbled, pulling out a thermos of black coffee and chugging down half of it right there when a teacher came in.

"Kuroda, Taniyama, Hisoka. Come to the principal's office immediately."

Mai and I exchanged glances, but I shrugged and trailed off after her as she led the way. Upon entering, we were met up with everyone else sitting in a half-circle of chairs across from the principal and Naru.

"Please, sit down." The principal said. "Now, everyone who was involved in the incident is here."

"One moment, please." Naru said, closing the window and turning on a light that slowly glowed on and off.

 _Great. Why do I have to go through this too? I was there for a day to help move equipment._ I mentally complained, but did as Naru said and focused on the light.

"Breathe please with the light. Slowly. Relax. You can hear yourself breathing. Please count your breaths in your head."

I slowly closed my eyes, feeling more relaxed than I had since I'd woken up here.

"Tonight, something is going to happen." Naru's voice rang out from far off. "The chair on the second floor in the old school building. That chair is going to move. Tonight that will be placed in the lab in the building."

 _Chair… the lab…_ I soon slipped into unconsciousness, completely asleep even after Naru had opened the curtains and made everyone else snap out of it.

* * *

"Very good. Thank you everyone." Naru announced, making sure that everyone in the room glimpsed at the chair under his hand.

Well, everyone except one.

Bou-san snorted. "Oi, Mai. I think your friend here is asleep."

"Huh?"

Sure enough, Yuu was completely asleep, lightly breathing and her head tipped to her chest with her arms crossed.

"S-Sorry. She hasn't been sleeping well lately." Mai apologized, lightly shaking her shoulders to try and rouse her.

"That and her making sure to stay awake and keep an eye on you last night." Bou-san added. "I saw her nodding off, but she'd snap right back up, walk around a bit, drink some coffee and settle back down to do the process over again. She hasn't been sleeping either?"

Mai shook her head, worry evident on her face. "Something's been bugging her the past few days. And she's… just acting a bit different. It's weird, but… she doesn't like to talk about things concerning herself much."

"No kidding." Ayako huffed as Yuu slowly woke and blinked.

"Hm?" She rubbed her eyes and then spotted everyone staring at her, making her frown. "What? I was tired. Sue me."

"Good to know her attitude's still there." Ayako complained and Mai chuckled nervously as she lightly pushed Yuu towards the door; not wanting a confrontation here in the principal's office.

 _Only Yuu would be the one to do that without thinking about the consequences._

She managed to convince Yuu to rest in the nurse's office for a bit and then took off after Naru.

"Naru! Where were you yesterday?" She asked him once she'd caught up.

"I had to run errands. I heard your friend was hurt."

"She has some bruising on her back from stopping a shoe rack from falling on me, but insists it's nothing. But what was that whole thing in the principal's office about?"

"Don't you have to get to class?"

"Who cares?!"

Naru smirked. "I see. No wonder you don't know anything."

Mai wrinkled her nose in annoyance, but calmed herself. "I need to ask you something. You came back to the building last night, didn't you?"

"The old building? No. But I went there just a little while ago. Why?" He replied.

"Oh, it's nothing. Don't worry about it!" Mai said quickly, waving her hands around. "Well then, I do have to get back to class. See you later!"

 _Of course Naru wouldn't smile at me like that. Yeah, yeah. It was a dream. A dream._ Mai told herself, pink in embarrassment. _But wait… why in the world would I have a dream like that?... Wait a minute, Taniyama Mai! Is it… Is it… Is that it?!_

* * *

 _ **Chair… Chair… the lab…**_

 _ **Screeching tires… skidding… weightlessness…**_

 _ **Crashing… water… the water's rising…**_

 _ **Need to get out… can't breathe…**_

 _ **Can't breathe!**_

I sat upright with a gasp, a hand on my throat as I choked and coughed and wheezed. It took a moment for me to calm down and get a look at who was patting my back and I winced at Mai's worried face.

"Are you okay?" She asked and I nodded. "I was just coming to check up on you before I dropped by to see if Naru needed any more help and you were…" Her eyes trailed down to my throat. "W-Well, you were grabbing at your neck, so I tried to wake you."

I grimaced as I lightly touched my aching neck. "Sorry. It was a nightmare."

"Oh, well… If you want to talk about it, I'm willing to listen, you know."

 _And she_ did _believe the whole 'I see ghosts' thing…_ "N-Not right now. Maybe, um, maybe later." I begrudgingly offered and she smiled, satisfied enough with that.

"Well, alright. Do you want to come with me? We can always go for that taiyaki I promised afterwards, since I sort of missed out the other day." She offered and I shrugged.

"Sure."

She seemed rather distracted on the way there, but I said nothing, enjoying the quiet as we approached the van where Naru was sitting, listening to something in a pair of headphones.

"Did you set up the tape recorder last night?"

"Ah, yeah. Yuu helped me set it up."

I winced. "Wasn't sure if I got the connections right on the video though, so we just left it."

"You both did a good job. It sounds like we were able to record some useful things." He complimented, though I silently wondered if he thought I was a part of their little entourage now because I helped Mai out a bit.

 _I'd really rather not get involved, if I can help it, but I doubt I can. It's more interesting than I thought, anyway. Though with my whole being dead and seeing ghosts thing, I wouldn't be surprised if they found out and dragged me into this._ I was sort of zoned out while he and Mai talking about poltergeists, but a camera was shoved into my arms and I took it with a small frown.

"Come on. Make yourself useful." Naru told me before walking off with some cables.

I huffed through my nose and Mai rubbed the back of her neck with a nervous chuckle.

"Sorry, Yuu. Looks like taiyaki will have to wait."

I started heading off after Naru as well. "I want dango too."

"What?!"

I eyed her in slight annoyance at my snacks being denied twice. "Consider it interest for you missing the first time."

She sighed, bowing her head, but begrudgingly agreeing to the added sweets before Naru handed her the cables and grabbed a chair. We brought all the equipment into the lab of the old school building and placed it in the center of the room. He then laid the cable in a circle around it and set up the stand for the camera as I set said object in place.

"What's this for?" Mai asked, being ignored for a moment before trailing after Naru as he setup some other device in the hall. "Hey, hey, hey. What's this, Naru? What _is_ that?"

"This is a radar." He replied as I yawned and leaned in the doorway.

"You mean like on an airplane? What are we using one for?"

"If I told you, it won't work."

"But I'm your assistant"

"No, I can't." He insisted. "I'll let you know tomorrow, but you can't ask me until then."

I laid a hand on Mai's shoulder. "It's fine, Mai. We'll just have to wait."

She pouted, but then Naru nodded to some boards leaning against the wall as he passed me the hammer he'd brought with him.

"Cover up all of the windows in the lab with those veneer boards over there."

"Yes, _boss_." I chimed, annoyed but knowing what they were being used for and wrapping an arm around Mai's shoulders to drag her over with me.

My back ached when we were finished—the boards not exactly being light, but not too heavy either—and Naru passed us a marker.

"Now would both of you please write your names on that board."

We exchanged looks, but did as he said; Mai asking what it was for again before we were told to sign some paper as well.

"Sign here too. You can go home when you're done."

"Huh!?"

Naru ignored her and Mai gave me a look, but I was rubbing at my shoulder with a small grimace.

"Are you alright, Yuu?"

"Those boards were heavy. My back hurts." I grumbled out a complaint and she apologized again for what happened.

Thankfully, I finally got my taiyaki that evening, but the next morning, I wasn't the only one exhausted. Mai was slowly moving along with me back over to where Naru's van was, neither of us having slept much the previous evening, and this time, Naru wasn't alone. Lin hovered nearby with a crutch and immediately, Mai grew nervous.

"Friend of yours?" I hummed, slightly teasing.

"Sh!" She shushed me. "And no, he's Naru's assistant. The one I told you about, who got hurt trying to keep me from messing with the camera."

"Ah." I said, knowing full well who he was, but not really caring at this point.

 _I'm exhausted and it's much too early for this._ I thought, drinking some more coffee in the thermos I was planning on keeping on me at all times. Naru noticed us heading over then and gave us both a look.

"You're early today."

"Well, something's been bothering me since yesterday." Mai admitted sheepishly, then gesturing over to me. "Yuu just felt like tagging along."

 _Gee, thanks, Mai._

"Can you tell me now? Please, oh please?" She begged.

"Mai, can you keep a secret?" He asked and she held up a hand, all serious.

"If you tell me not to tell anyone, I won't. Yuu won't either. She hardly talks anyway."

I gave her a slightly annoyed look, but didn't comment as Naru glanced over at me briefly before turning away.

"Wait. Everyone's arriving now."

"Everyone? Why?"

He didn't answer and she went around the van only to nearly bump into Lin, had I not grabbed her arm.

"I-Is everything okay?" She asked him with a smile, but he just sort of glared.

She shuffled off nervously as I leveled my eyes with Lin's for a moment before bowing my head and trailing after her; yawning again as we waited for everyone to get here. Ayako was one of the last to show and her and Mai were not-so-quietly discussing Kuroda after Naru had attempted to send her back to the school. _She's determined though, I'll give her that. Probably why she's the one causing half this mess in the first place._

"And what're you going to show us today?" Bou-san questioned Naru, drawing my fading attention back to the present. "Shouldn't you quit before you embarrass yourself again?"

 _Says you._ I thought with a snort, ignoring his glance my way as Naru responded.

"I just need you to be one of the witnesses for the experiment. Mai, Yuu. Please make sure the papers you signed yesterday are not damaged in any way."

"Ah, sure."

We looked them over, but our signatures were the same and he had us look over the ones on the sealed door too, before quickly picking up an ax and forcefully breaking his way back into the room. Mai looked at me in confusion, but I just shrugged and we followed him in. The boards on the windows were fine as well, but my eyes automatically went to the chair that had toppled over in the center of the room.

"The chair!" Mai called out, gathering everyone's attention. "Shibuya-san, the chair has moved."

"That's right." He said with a hint of a smile, moving over to the camera we'd set up the previous evening. "Thanks for your help, everyone. I'll be leaving later on today."

"Are you implying that you've solved the case?!" Bou-san shouted in disbelief.

"That's exactly right."

"Land subsidence?" Ayako said, mockingly.

"Yes. The case requested by the school principal can be explained as the result of land subsidence."

"Ha! But how do you explain what happened in the lab and the poltergeist from yesterday?"

"Those _were_ poltergeists."

"See! You can't exorcise them, can you? You're just going to leave after you're done with your research."

"In my opinion, there's no need to exorcise. Would you like to take a look?"

The group turned and huddled around a screen showing the footage from the previous night.

"What's this all about?" Kuroda questioned, but Naru ignored her as I sighed and begrudgingly went to watch the tape as well.

The chair sort of rattled on its legs before falling over onto its side. I frowned though, surprised to not see the same purple smoke that I saw on Kuroda. _Perhaps because it's on video I can't see it?_

"That was…" Mai muttered as I leaned away from the screen and folded my arms over my chest.

She gave me a worried glance, but I said nothing as Bou-san turned to Naru.

"Indeed a poltergeist! We'd better exorcise—"

"It's not necessary." Naru cut him off, picking up said chair and standing it upright. "I had auto-suggested to all of you yesterday that this chair would move last night."

"In the principal's office!" Mai connected the dots.

"And this was the locked room." I mused. "Our signatures weren't altered and nothing was broken, so it's not like anyone could get in. This was a test, right?" I asked Naru, a bit bored. "To see if we had psychic powers or whatever, because someone does and has been causing trouble, yeah?"

"Correct." Naru agreed. "Half of all poltergeist cases are attributable to humans."

"Pranks?" Mai questioned and I sighed.

"No, psychic."

Naru nodded. "A type of psychic energy. Most of the time it happens unconsciously. For example, say someone is stressed out. He or she strongly desires to be noticed, or wants attention from others and is unconsciously building up energy. In such cases, with auto-suggestion, a situation like this can occur."

"So you're saying the chair was moved by human willpower?" Bou-san asked.

"Most likely. At least my experiment to prove this did not fail."

"Who could it be…" Mai muttered, but it _was_ pretty obvious who everyone was thinking of and Kuroda was immediately put under the spotlight.

"Who… me? Are you trying to say I did it?!"

"More than anyone else in this room, it makes the most sense to assume it was you." Naru stated. "I had a feeling from the beginning that this had something to do with you. For example, you mentioned that you saw spirits of wartime nurses and victims. However, there is nothing to substantiate that this area was attacked, or that the school was ever used as a hospital during the war. Not even that there was ever a hospital here at all."

"Besides." I interjected. "Every time someone thinks a place is haunted, it's _always_ a war time thing or a hospital or asylum. Not all hauntings are the cause of something like that. People need to make up better stories to explain odd occurrences."

"I'm not making things up!" Kuroda shouted at me and I stiffened, scowling.

"Child." I muttered under my breath, glaring at her as she turned away from me.

I clicked my tongue in annoyance, opening my thermos and drinking more of my coffee as I mentally scolded myself. _Idiot. Who cares if she's acting like a child? She_ is _a child. To me, anyway. But still. Crying over this? Causing problems for others just because you want things to go your way? It's cowardly. Stupid and idiotically childish and… and…_ I felt my shoulders sag, remembering how Ashton and Mickey, my younger brothers, used to whine and complain.

" _Why can't you get us some?! It's just down the road!"_

" _Yeah! You're so mean! You're the worst!"_

 _And now I'm dead to them… They're probably crushed, blaming themselves and…_

"—uu. Yuu!"

"Hm?" I turned to Mai, finding the others looking at me oddly and her looking concerned.

"I was asking if you could help Naru and I take this stuff downstairs." She explained. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Fine." I mumbled, taking the camera under one arm and the tripod in the other. "I'm fine."

* * *

Mai sighed softly, slightly annoyed, but also concerned for Yuu. She could tell that she wasn't sleeping well, judging by the bags under her eyes and the naps she took during class and breaks, but Mai got the feeling there was more to it than that. And, unlike herself, Mai was fairly certain she was Yuu's only friend. And with the similar situation they were in, she didn't think there was anyone else for her to rely on, but she wasn't telling Mai much of anything. _She used to be a bit more open, but ever since Naru showed up, it's like she's closed herself off. She's been acting strange too, so I wonder what's going on._ She remembered what Naru had told her over the phone though, and hoped bringing Yuu with her on that upcoming Saturday to work with Naru would help keep her occupied on something other than whatever it was that was bothering her.

"Mai."

Mai jumped, turning to see Yuu standing there looking a bit nervous, surprisingly.

"Can I, uh… talk to you for a minute?"

"Yeah, sure." Mai said, standing and following Yuu outside where they wouldn't be overheard.

Yuu bought them both a few drinks from the vending machine nearby before allowing Mai to settle on some stairs while she frowned at a bit of empty space on a railing nearby.

"Yuu?"

Yuu turned back to her and looked a little sheepish before rubbing the back of her neck. "Sorry. I've just… been seeing this bird following me around lately."

"A bird?" Mai looked around, but saw nothing.

"A ghost, Mai. It's fine. It hasn't bothered me other than surprising me on occasion." Yuu muttered, before sighing and plopping down on the ground in front of her. "That's not what I want to tell you though. I'm just… I'm really sorry."

"Sorry? For what?" Mai asked, greatly confused.

Yuu hesitated, before seemingly changing the subject. "Do you… Do you believe in reincarnation?"

"You mean like dying and being reborn? Well, I haven't really thought about it." She replied, growing more lost. "Yuu, does any of this have to do with why you've been acting strangely? And you really don't look good. When was the last time you slept?"

Yuu tiredly dragged a hand down her face. "I don't know, Mai. I really just… None of this makes any sense and I'm having a hard time trying to figure out what I'm supposed to do."

Mai shuffled, growing more concerned. "Yuu, what's going on?"

"I… I'm not Yuu."

"What?"

Yuu sighed, looking more tired than Mai had ever seen her before. "I'm not Yuu. I am… _was_ Sam Tyler. I think I… I died. I was leaving my parent's summer cabin and I had to avoid a truck and my car… and then I woke up like this. I really just… I don't know what I'm supposed to do or how I'm supposed to handle this. I-I've been working through each day bit by bit, but… I haven't slept in days. I keep having nightmares of the crash a-and I was trying to find a way to tell you I'm not Yuu. I'm not your friend. I-I just ended up in this body somehow and… I-I-I don't know what to do."

Mai was speechless, trying to understand what Yuu—or Sam—was trying to tell her, but it all seemed more than a little complicated. _So… This Sam person died? In some kind of car accident and… they're Yuu now? But then…_

"W-Where's Yuu?" Mai asked and the young woman across from her shook her head, pulling a hand through her hair.

"I-I don't know. She could be dead o-or alive in me somewhere. I honestly don't know and I'm sorry. I never meant to lie to you, I just didn't know how to tell you." She sighed heavily once more. "I wish I was alone. Then it'd be so much easier." She muttered, but that shocked Mai.

"D-Do you really mean that?"

Yuu opened her mouth, but closed it, pressing her lips in a firm, tight line before finally sagging her shoulders and responding.

"No. No, I don't. Honestly, knowing I had _someone_ as a friend—as Yuu or otherwise—is the only thing that's really kept me going up till this point. I… I didn't want to lose you by admitting I wasn't who you thought I was, but I felt that you needed to know."

Mai was still a little unsure and disbelieving, but continued. "How did you know who I was then?"

"Same way I know Japanese now. Yuu learned it and my mind is somehow able to recall Yuu's memories. I still remember my own though too, hence the nightmares."

Mai winced, knowing that must not be pleasant—reliving your death—but there was also more important things to worry about.

"So… what are you going to do now?"

Yuu shrugged lightly. "Same thing I've been doing. Ignoring the ghosts, going to school, and probably start taking sleeping pills at night. I just wanted to tell you though. It's up to you on whether you want to still be friends with me despite my not being the same friend you had before. There's not much more I can do about any of that though."

Mai frowned. "You can try a little harder."

Yuu furrowed her brows. "What?"

"You heard me. Yuu or not, if you want me to stay your friend, you need to tell me and not just dance around the issue."

"B-But I'm not—"

"Yes, I know you're not Yuu, but you're not a bad person either." Mai relaxed with a small smile. "So you shouldn't quit trying before you've even started."

"I… I suppose you're right."

"Of course I am." Mai said triumphantly, earning a small snort from the young woman in front of her.

"Alright then, Mai? Would you mind still being my friend?"

Mai grinned. "What are you talking about, Yuu? I'll always be your friend." Her smile dropped suddenly. "Wait, I can still call you Yuu, right?"

Yuu nodded with a small smile of her own. "Yeah. It's kind of who I am now, so I best get used to it. Although…" She winced. "I _do_ have a slight bit of psychic ability?"

"What?!" Mai exclaimed and Yuu waved her hands a bit.

"N-Not much, but where I came from… well, I don't think I'm from this universe. A parallel one, maybe? But, uh, a number of your adventures with Naru were made into a manga that I used to read, so if I seem a bit ahead of things, that's probably why."

Mai's eyes were spinning. "A-Another universe? Psychic? Huh?"

"Ah, um, well perhaps I could come over? Spend the night and explain things a bit? You know, help you understand and maybe get some sleep myself? I-If that's alright with you."

Mai's eyes narrowed. "You weren't a guy in your past life, were you?"

"Oh, no." Yuu waved off. "Thirty-year-old woman, thank you."

"T-Thirty?!"

"You say that like I'm old!"

"Thirty _is_ old!"

"Is not!"

"Is so!"

"W-Well, maybe a bit, but I'm not _that_ old!" Yuu said, before the two began laughing; glad that the other accepted them despite the new differences that they'd just discovered.


	2. Chapter 2

I yawned tiredly as we stood outside of Naru's van in front of the house of our latest client. Mai and I were getting along well enough despite the fact that I'd revealed to her that I was a thirty-year-old woman inhabiting her friend's body, though Naru continued to eye me suspiciously at times which bothered me somewhat. Lin was dead silent as always, but the two of us had a silent agreement not to bother the other unless absolutely necessary and even then, we settled for short sentences and gestures instead of conversation. I still hadn't been sleeping well though, other than the night I stayed over with Mai. Already, I considered getting a dog or cat of some sort to help me sleep since companionship was what I appeared to need. I didn't want to possibly get addicted to sleep medication, after all, and trying to work after taking some was rather unpleasant. Naru—my new boss as well as Mai's—had already informed me that I needed an alternative seeing as we needed to be easily awoken at night as well, on certain cases. Myself being drugged into sleep would make that virtually impossible.

"Wow! What a big house!" Mai chimed upon laying eyes on the English styled home with a decent sized yard and sunflowers growing brightly in the front garden behind the picket fence.

I sipped at my thermos of coffee though, attempting to use the drink to keep my eyelids from drooping as Naru walked past me and stopped to frown from over his shoulder.

"You have bags under your eyes, Panda."

My eyebrow twitched at his most recent nickname for me, wanting to chuck my thermos at him if it wouldn't spill the only drink that was keeping me upright.

"Ass." I muttered under my breath, earning an elbow to the ribs, courtesy of Mai who—whether I was thirty or not—didn't approve of my language.

We headed into the house then, led in by a blonde haired woman who explained the situation a bit better than the brief message Naru had gotten in his office and her explanation a few days ago in private with him.

"This is Kana, my sister-in-law, and my 8-year-old niece, Ayami." She introduced, my eyes straying to the doll Ayami held in her arms.

It sent a shiver down my spine. I still wasn't used to seeing things like ghosts and such, and this one really bothered me. Not only did I know that it was the one causing all this and would later attempt to kill the girl who now held it, but it looked different to me. It didn't look like a clean doll dressed up in a pink frilly dress, but like a dry, bone-colored husk with protruding glass eyes and covered in dirt, chipped away in some places. And the worst part was, it's eyes never once sat still; skipping and jolting around everything in the room. I had to force myself to keep my eyes off it and not gain the spirit's attention. I honestly didn't want a part in its mess, unless absolutely necessarily.

"Strange things have been happening lately." The woman went on, making me return my attention to her once more. "All of a sudden, our furniture will start shaking, or we'll hear someone banging on the wall when there's nobody in the room. Or doors will open and close by themselves… It's just been very creepy."

Her sister stepped forward then. "Who's in charge of your company?"

"My name's Shibuya Kazuya." Naru introduced himself; the woman giving him a dubious glance. "I'm the president."

"You are?" She questioned to herself, almost, before clearing her throat. "Well, that's okay. Do you really think there could be a spirit causing all these disturbances?"

"That's our job, to find out." He replied easily enough.

 _Not like she has much of a choice other than to believe us. I doubt there's as many places for people to go to who won't drag the media in their wake when they come across a haunted home._ I silently mused as Naru made arrangements to borrow a room to act as the home base, myself going to help Lin bring in the equipment. _Probably why Naru hired me along with Mai. I'm quiet like Lin and am good for the physical work. I wonder if Yuu did any sports? She's pretty fit for a young high school student. I'll have to ask Mai._ It took a while to set up the monitors and once they were finally plugged in and Naru was satisfied, I accepted the water bottle Mai passed me as Bou-san spoke up then with a cheeky grin.

"Hey, part-timer. You sound like you're finally getting the hang of your job." He said when Mai made the comment about there possibly being a poltergeist based on what Noriko—the blonde woman—had informed us.

"A real ghost hunter!" Ayako mocked him as she looked at her newly manicured nails. "Making a big deal out of things as usual. It sounds to me more like a chirei (land spirit)."

"I think it sounds like something a human would do." Mai said confidently, determined to prove her worth, though I knew she was wrong.

 _I'm not about to say anything though. I don't like how Naru's been keeping an eye on me lately and speaking up is just another way for him to figure out who I really am._ I thought idly sipping at my water from my seat on the floor as I listened in amusement at Mai's reasoning.

"Statistics show that humans cause fifty percent of poltergeist cases. And they're often caused by women with high stress." She rattled off, practically quoting what she was told back at the school. "In this household, that would be the woman who doesn't get along with her sister-in-law. Most likely."

"You mean Noriko-san?" Bou-san questioned as Ayako seemed to almost agree with her.

"I see. Kana-san does seem like she could be difficult to deal with."

 _The so-called 'professionals' are listening to an amateur who just started? Wow…_ Naru agreed with my thoughts.

"Exactly what an amateur would think." He corrected Mai, who didn't look pleased. "Poltergeists are most often caused by younger teens. _Most likely_ adolescents. Noriko-san is twenty. That's too old to be an adolescent."

 _Ouch. That's a harsh jab at my age, buddy._

"True, women with strong psychic energy can _sometimes_ cause poltergeists but, we'll be able to determine that better when we test later this evening."

"The 'try and move this with your mid' trick?" I questioned and he glanced briefly at me before nodding silently.

I hummed as Mai stepped out to cool down her anger and, undoubtedly, be introduced to Minnie, the doll. _I'd rather avoid that thing for as long as possible, if I could._ I thought to myself and after a long day of setting up equipment and being Naru's personal gopher, I was grateful for when day shifted into night and Naru began the test with a vase this time, instead of the chair used back at the school. Despite him not aiming it at me, I still grew tired until Mai flicked on the lights and I begrudgingly stepped away from my resting place against a wall to draw the circle around the base of the vase on the coffee table with some chalk.

"Circle's done." I chimed when I'd finished and Naru nodded as Mai trailed after him.

"Okay. Let's leave the room."

He locked it behind him and the lot of us moved up to the home base where I settled down for a nap; knowing that nothing would happen for a few hours at the least. It felt like I'd barely closed my eyes before Mai sat down on the ground beside me and spoke in a quiet whisper.

"Yuu, do you think there's a ghost?" She asked and I lazily peeked an eye open, spotting Naru facing away from us and possibly not paying attention, but I didn't want to take that risk.

"I dunno. Must be something though, right? I doubt there's nothing here if it's got those two women willing to trust a group of high schoolers and weirdos to invade their home and find ghosts." I grumbled, before the door suddenly opened and Kana spoke loudly.

"Come here, hurry!"

"What happened?" Naru asked calmly as I sighed and stood up with Mai.

"Just follow me!" She nearly shouted, storming upstairs with us on her heels as she opened the door to Ayami's room. "We came upstairs so Ayami-chan could go to bed and this is what we saw!"

Mai and the rest of us entered the room to find the furniture all moved around despite no one having been up there until they tried to bring Ayami upstairs.

"What's going on?" Kana continued to complain. "Aren't you here to prevent this type of thing from happening?!"

"If we don't know what we're dealing with, how are we supposed to know the proper way to take care of it?" I retorted calmly and she glared at me abashedly before Ayako spoke.

"Are you sure Ayami didn't do it?"

"How could a little girl do this?!" Mai snapped at her as Bou-san got a better look.

"Right. The furniture is still sitting on the carpet. I couldn't even have done it."

"May I inspect the room?" Naru asked Kana, who quickly grabbed Ayami and snapped at us.

"Go ahead! We'll be downstairs. Let's go Ayami-chan."

"…I didn't do it." Ayami sniffled and Mai smiled at her as she bent down to the girl's level.

"It's okay. I know you didn't. Yuu too, right Yuu?" She asked and I mentally sighed.

"Ah." I agreed, scratching my cheek and turning away as Mai chuckled.

"Yuu gets a little embarrassed. Don't mind her."

I frowned at that, but didn't disagree. _I'm not good with kids in situations like this. Even my brothers were hard to deal with on a good day._

"What do you think, Naru-kun?" Bou-san questioned him once the two had left. "I would love to meet the person capable of doing this. There's no trace of anything. It's impossible for a human to have done this."

An ear-splitting scream rang out then and I grimaced, the sound making my ears ring for a moment before the group of us hurried downstairs to find the living room a disaster. Everything that could be flipped upside down, had been.

"Naru, the carpet. It's upside-down too, with the furniture still on it!"

I glanced at the room and back to Naru. "There wouldn't have been any time for a normal person to have done this between when we left the base and got down here." I commented and he frowned as he crossed his arms over his chest, but said nothing.

"This is definitely a poltergeist." Bou-san said instead with Ayako arguing the point.

"That's obvious. The question is who did it, right? I'm sure it was a chirei!" She said before laughing as she walked out. "I'll get rid of the spirit for you by tomorrow. Just wait, you'll see. Good night."

No one gave a reaction to her departure other than Mai's annoyed expression.

"What's wrong?" Bou-san asked Naru. "You look like you're deep in thought. Is something bothering you?"

"Don't you think the spirit reacted too quickly?" Naru questioned. "Paranormal phenomena usually don't happen when strangers are around. Normally they go into hiding when outsiders get too close."

I furrowed my brows. "I thought it was the opposite in most cases. Isn't that why people go to haunted hotels and such? The spirits get territorial about someone entering their space and lash out with poltergeist activities?"

"That's actually pretty rare." Bou-san corrected. "You see it on psychic phenomenon tv shows all the time. Investigators go into a well-known haunted house, but nothing happens. Or you end up getting a weak response. For example, you're told there's a rapping sound, but when you get there, the noise becomes just a squeak. When you get an opposite type of reaction to that, perhaps it means—"

"Repulsion." Naru interrupted, nodding to me. "You're probably right, Yuu. It's not as common, but with more serious spirits, it's possible." He frowned at the thought. "This may take some time."

We worked in shifts throughout the night to keep an eye on the cameras—myself ending up working alongside Lin for a few hours while Naru got some sleep—before the next morning, when Ayako did her version of cleansing the chirei she believed to have been here. Mai, Naru and I watched her work on the monitors before she finished in a happy mood.

"That was easy, too easy! I took care of it. Consider this case closed!" She chirped as Naru sent Mai and I off to take room temperatures.

"Yuu, do you really think there's a ghost here? Have you sensed anything?" Mai asked, still keeping her voice down because of the mikes.

"I don't really want to talk about it, Mai." I murmured quietly as well. "I'll admit there's something here, but if I tell you anything more, it might make you a target."

"W-What?" She questioned, looking concerned.

"It's dangerous, Mai." I told her, looking her in the eyes and hoping that my seriousness would help get the point across. "I don't like how this spirit is and I'm worried that if even _I_ pay too much attention to it, I'll become a target. This isn't going to be something easy to deal with, as much as I wish it was. But I'm not about to put you in danger by telling you what it is."

"What about Naru? Can't he help?"

I sighed, dragging a hand down my tired face. "It's hard to explain, Mai, but remember what I told you the other night?"

She nodded, remembering the night I explained everything as best I could to her about my situation and what I knew.

"It's exactly what I said. I can't say anything because every one of my actions could cause something to change to the point where people could even _die_ if I'm not careful. The only thing I can do is let things run their course."

"But what if someone's in danger?" She asked worriedly.

"Then I'll see what I can do, but I'd like to avoid changing things as much as possible unless I _know_ it will turn out positive. So _please_ don't mention this to anyone. It's hard enough trying to keep you and myself out of harm's way, let alone the rest of our little group."

"Then promise me you'll help when you can." She pressed and I raised a brow at her.

"Isn't that what I _just_ said? If I see anyone in danger, I'll do what I can to help so long as it's not very large and vital to something else. So if you getting a splinter will keep someone from dying, then I'm sorry, Mai, but you're going to get a splinter."

"Yuu!" She scolded me, smacking my arm as I chuckled.

 _Shame I meant it. I just wish a splinter was the largest of my problems._

* * *

I was feeling slightly better after we'd left Ayami's room, though I made sure not to go much further than the doorway while Mai took the temperature. When I'd brought in the camera to set up in there, I could feel it too. _This room is her's. Minnie's. The air is thick and hard to breathe in. Like a dark black fog. She was coated in it too. I didn't notice until Ayami almost bumped into me earlier today. But if just a doll is making me feel like this, I'd hate to think how I'll deal with that vampire guy later._ I glanced at the nearby window with a small frown. _That little bird isn't even around here to bug me._ I rubbed unconsciously at the scars on my arm, an old habit that I didn't even notice. _Yuu's_ habit.

"Ayami-chan's was lower than the others." Naru said then, drawing my attention away from the window. "The house isn't crooked and the floors aren't warped. And the house seems to be very stable."

"Then… that means this house is… haunted?" Mai questioned and I hummed.

"Not like a land subsidence could make all the furniture flip upside down in the span of a few minutes without us noticing."

Naru grunted in agreement before Kana's familiar scream rang out once more and we started running. She was petrified as she stood in front of the kitchen door; a blazing inferno raging from the stove where she'd been trying to cook dinner.

"It suddenly burst into flames!" She cried as Naru led her away.

"Everyone stay back! Yuu, get a fire extinguisher!"

I nodded, quickly finding the one I'd remembered for this very problem and pulling the pin before attempting to douse the fire along with Ayako and Bou-san. He soon found a second one to help me as Ayako went to shut off the gas and after what felt like an hour—but was probably only a few minutes—the fire was out and Mai and I caught sight of something in the window.

"Naru! The window!" Mai shouted, pointing at the child-like figure as I paled and took a hesitant step back.

"There's no one there." Naru replied once he'd checked outside, but I couldn't argue.

It felt like my throat was swollen shut with the amount of fear that smoky black figure caused me. _It wasn't even Minnie! Just some kid she picked up, so get a hold of yourself!_ I scolded myself, before someone bumped into me trying to get out the door. I stumbled back a step as Bou-san called back an apology over his shoulder, but I was silently grateful that he'd knocked me out of the trance I'd been in as Mai approached me in concern.

"Yuu? Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah. I'm fine. Sorry." I lied, giving her a pointed look that said we'd talk later, not noticing that Naru had been watching me once more.

* * *

Mai was worried when Noriko hurried up to Ayami's room to confront her about the child-like figure they'd seen in the kitchen window after the fire, but for more than one reason. Something told her Ayami wasn't the one behind this, but without any proof, there was no way of knowing for certain. That, and the way Yuu was acting had her worried. Mai knew she'd seen the ghost as well, but something told her that what Yuu had seen was different than the slightly creepy shadow she'd seen. Mai had noticed too, how Yuu seemed to be avoiding areas in the house like Ayami's room and the main living room, which only made Mai wonder just how bad this haunting was. She was pretty convinced now that it _was_ a haunting, after all. There's no way a human person could have done things like flip the furniture around in the span of a few minutes. Seeing how uncomfortable Yuu was in Ayami's room though, only made her more uneasy, especially when the banging started up.

"W-What?" Noriko muttered, the group looking up at the rattling lights as Ayami continued to deny that she'd left her room.

"It wasn't me. I didn't do it!" She cried, the noises getting worse before a bookcase toppled towards Noriko.

"Noriko-san!"

"Nee-chan!"

Mai covered her mouth as it tipped, but let out a soft gasp when the shelving stopped and another breath of relief was let out.

"Are you alright?" Yuu asked Noriko, her arm braced against the bookcase to prevent it from actually hitting Noriko.

"A-Ah, yes. T-Thank you." She said as Bou-san hurried over and helped Yuu straighten the toppled object.

The group headed out of the room then, and Mai couldn't help but snicker as Ayako scolded Yuu about being reckless. Yuu looked rather annoyed, waving the woman off, but Ayako was insistent and wouldn't take 'no' for an answer when it came to looking at Yuu's arm. Yuu scowled, but was rather helpless in the situation as Ayako began chiding her even more at the dark bruise forming on her arm. _I wonder if she knew that would happen and that's why she intervened…_ Mai mused, though feeling a shiver go up her spine at the thought of the spirit that caused the shelving to fall in the first place.

"You may leave now if you're scared." Naru's voice pulled her out of her daydreaming.

"I-I'm not scared!" She said, offended, but Naru wasn't listening to her as Bou-san spoke up.

"By the way, it almost seemed like the poltergeist was responding to Ayami-chan's shouting. Mai also mentioned that she saw a kid in the kitchen window. You think that Ayami-chan caused the poltergeist? The autosuggestion test indicated that a human didn't cause the poltergeist. How sure are you about the results of that test?"

"One hundred percent."

"Is it possible that the autosuggestion failed?" Bou-san pressed and Yuu gave him a look.

"If he said that he's a hundred percent sure about the results, don't you think that he knows it won't fail?"

Bou-san's eyebrow ticked in annoyance at her interjection, but she let out a yelp when Ayako practically dropped an icepack onto the large bruising on her bandaged arm.

"Ice it properly." Ayako demanded and Yuu scowled, muttering under her breath as she lightly placed the icepack on her arm.

"Naru, the temperature is starting to decrease." Lin called out then, drawing everyone's attention to the monitors.

"Lin, the speaker." Naru ordered and the sound of banging came again, much to Mai's shock.

"But there's no one in Ayami's room!"

"Wow…" Naru breathed out, making Mai turned to him.

"What?"

"The temperature… It's dropping very quickly. Now it's below freezing. There's no way Ayami-chan is causing this. It's impossible for a human to do this."

* * *

The group sort of split off after the incident with the bookshelf and as Mai went up to go be with Noriko and Ayami—someplace I didn't want to be with that creepy doll around—I headed towards the kitchen to put the limp icepack in the freezer. _I usually wouldn't have interfered with that bookshelf since it wasn't supposed to hurt Noriko, but something's changed. It would have landed right on top of her if I hadn't stopped it. Perhaps just my presence alone is changing things?_ I thought on that for a bit longer before entering the kitchen to find Kana laying out cookies on a tray to put in the oven. I watched her for a second and then turned to the freezer to put the icepack away, speaking over my shoulder to her.

"I commend you for that."

"What?" She questioned as I shut the freezer door and turned to her with a nod towards the cookie tray.

"Using the oven after what happened earlier with the stove. Most people wouldn't even try it."

She gave the stove a glance. "Yes, well, I'm not exactly comfortable with it."

I noticed her hands shaking slightly and I moved past her to take the tray.

"Never said you were." I replied, opening the oven and sliding the tray in. "Just said I respected you for doing it."

"Thank you." She said quietly as I hummed in acknowledgement and headed back towards the door.

"And don't mind what Ayami says later. She's just afraid and confused." I told her, hinting at the future, though Kana was none-the-wiser.

When I returned to the base though, I didn't like the way Naru was looking at me. I liked it even less when he approached me and gestured to the door.

"Can I speak with you privately?"

I stiffened, not liking the sound of that, but forced myself to nod and follow him out into the living room; which didn't please me much at all with the well under the floor boards practically oozing black fog through the ground. Naru took a seat on the couch though and I took my own seat in the chair across from him. He just sat there watching me for a moment before finally getting around to the subject he wished to speak about.

"What do you think about this place?"

I frowned, confused. "Why are you asking me?"

He leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. "Because I'm not stupid, and I know you see more than you wish for us to think."

I struggled, but managed to not give him a reaction to his accusation. "I don't know what you're talking about, but if you ask me, this place is creepy and that doll Ayami-chan carries around is creepy and there's enough tension in this house to cause an earthquake."

"The doll?" He questioned and I mentally cursed.

 _Idiot. You and your big mouth._ "Yeah." I covered up easily. "I never liked those creepy things. And I doubt I'm the only one who has heard that dolls can easily house spirits."

His eyes narrowed. "So you don't believe it to be a child?"

I shrugged. "Hell if I know. I mean, we saw a kid in the kitchen window, so there's probably some child spirit or something around here somewhere, but that doesn't mean it's the one doing it. There can be more than one spirit, can't there?"

"You're the first person to think so."

 _Damn. He's got to be on to me. He keeps trying to get me to slip. But the moron doesn't know who he's dealing with. I'm over thirty years old. I'm not some easily tricked kid._ "Hey, I just keep my options open. Whatever remains must be the truth, right?"

He didn't look convinced at my ploy and the smirk that formed on his face made me swallow thickly in concern. "You knew the bookshelf was going to fall, didn't you?"

 _Agh!_ I screamed internally, remaining calm on the outside. "Huh? No way. I'm not some psychic."

"And yet, you were moving before anyone else and you purposely positioned yourself closer to Noriko-san. Unless we knew there was a possibility of her getting hurt, there would have been no way for any of us to have reached her in time, yet, you did."

I sighed, pushing myself up from out of the seat I was in. "Look, I don't know what your deal is with me, but you really shouldn't assume things without the proper evidence to back it up." I gave him a look then. "And your constant staring at me gets annoying, so either ask me out or knock it off already."

I walked back up the stairs then, face a nice cherry red at what I'd just told Naru. _My God, am I stupid?! Did I just inadvertently tell Naru to ask me out?! I'm_ thirty _, for Pete's sake! I-I can't go around dating some high schooler! Much less_ Naru _! Oh, I've lost it. All the ghost fumes have finally gotten to me and I've lost my mind. Someone kill me._

* * *

I rubbed at my scarred arm uneasily as Naru looked over the Minnie doll sometime after Mai had explained what Ayami had told her about said doll. _I hate that thing. Why the hell do I have to see it creepier than everyone else?_

"This is Minnie." Noriko said, sounding unsure as to what the doll might have to do with the possible haunting of their home. "My brother gave it to Ayami as a gift right before we moved into this house."

"Did Ayami-chan change before or after that?" Naru asked her.

"I believe it was after."

"I see. Yuu." Naru said then, making me straighten my back in surprise. "What do you think?"

He held the limp doll out to me and I flinched, looking down at it in slight concern. _He_ has _to be on to me. This wasn't in the manga, for one thing, but he knows I don't like the Minnie doll for a reason and now he's testing me. If it_ was _just a doll, I'd be taking it from him, but since it's not, he's expecting me to give in. If I don't take the doll, he'll know, but if I do…_ I slowly reached for the doll, fingers hovering over the toy's clothes (ratty and torn apart, from how I saw things), when Ayami suddenly pushed Naru away from me and began shouting at him to give her back the doll.

"Give it back! Give Minnie back to me! Don't touch her!"

"Ayami-chan, I heard you can talk with Minnie?" Naru attempted, thankfully pushing aside our little problem.

"No one touches her!" Ayami continued to shout, eventually getting her way and snatching the doll from Naru.

Noriko called out after her, but Naru waved her off, saying it was fine and we needed to get back to the base anyway for temperature checks. A complete lie, but I wasn't about to argue when it gave me a chance to stay away from Minnie.

"That was the Minnie doll?" Monk questioned once we'd returned and settled in for a long night of monitor watching while Ayami and her sister and aunt slept. "I'm surprised that little one let you borrow it."

"I took it after she finally fell asleep." Naru answered.

"That doll is spooky looking." Mai murmured and Naru spared me a glace for some strange reason before speaking.

"Dolls were originally made to contain spirits. They were hollow inside so spirits could easily possess them."

"Wow…"

Movement caught my eye then and I felt my heart stop as Minnie fell from her seated position to lay on the bed and begin to slide towards the edge.

"Naru, look." I called out and everyone stared in shock at the screen.

"Minnie?!"

"No way… it was just sitting…"

The doll slid towards the edge of the bed, stopping only for its head to roll off and roll right up to where the camera was aimed, almost menacingly. Naru and Lin immediately scrambled to figure out what had caused it as Bou-san rushed out to check up on the doll and the sleeping Ayami.

"There's no recoding of it on the video." Naru murmured in stunned amazement. "No reading of movement on the other instruments either."

Bou-san returned with a sigh as Mai spotted him.

"Bou-san! What'd you find out?"

"Nothing." He answered her. "Minnie's head wasn't off. It was just sitting there like nothing happened."

 _She's mocking us._ I thought, a hard shiver racking my spine as I stared at the cracked and distorted image of the battered doll, watching its expression twitch jerkily into a sickeningly sweet grin. Then, it's eyes locked onto me. I felt my muscles go taunt and my jaw clench tightly, but forced myself to stare right back at it, attempting to not give anything away about the fact that I saw it differently than the others. It seemed curious though, tilting its head before suddenly jumping at the screen. I couldn't hold back the fear at that and took a step back with wide eyes; only to run into someone.

"S-Sorry." I said shakily, voice breathy as I looked up at Bou-san who gave me a worried look.

"You alright? You're a little pale." He smirked then, teasingly. "Don't tell me you're scared of a little doll, Yuu."

I glanced back at the monitor, feeling the blood drain from my face at the smirking doll who'd settled back into its previous position. _It knows now. It knows I can see it for what it really is. That's… That's really not good._

"Sorry, I-I need some air." I apologized to him, practically fleeing from the room and out the doors.

I walked out to the edge of the fence, stepping onto the concrete sidewalk out front and shakily flopping onto my backside on the ground, gasping for air. _G-God, I felt like I was suffocating in there._ I brought a hand up to my throat and struggled to push past the memory of my accident and being unable to breathe as I drowned. I took in a slow, stuttering breath and very nearly jumped out of my skin when I was tapped on the shoulder by Mai.

"God, Mai, _please_ don't sneak up on me like that." I complained, voice tight.

"Sorry, but are you alright, Yuu? What happened in there? You just sort of zoned out and then bolted for it." She asked, moving to sit on the ground beside me.

I debated with myself for only a minute before giving in. "Mai, what does Minnie look like?"

"Huh?"

"Describe her." I pressed and she hummed in thought.

"Hm, well, she has blonde hair, blue eyes and wears a pink dress, but you've seen her too."

I shook my head. "I see the doll differently. She's old and battered with tufts of hair falling out and her dress is practically in shreds. Thing is, I see her eyes constantly darting about, whereas you guys see her as a simple doll. And after she moved earlier and then she acted like she hadn't moved, the doll locked eyes with me. L-Like it _knew_ I could see it for what it really was. And it tested me, throwing itself at the monitor and making me bump into Bou-san. _That's_ why I left the room, Mai. Whatever that doll is, it _knows_ that I know. And being in there with its smirking face watching me was suffocating."

She gave me a worried look. "Shouldn't you tell Naru? He might be able to do something."

I gave her a look. "Mai, I don't _want_ them to know that I can see these things. That I _know_ things that I shouldn't know."

"But him and the others, they'd understand—"

"Mai, _I'm_ still trying to get used to the fact I can see ghosts. I'm not Yuu, remember? And even if I can somehow explain that to them, do you really think they'll believe that I'm some dead woman's spirit from a parallel universe where this is all just a manga and anime series? They're having a hard time believing this _house_ is haunted, let alone the thirty-year-old possessing your friend. They'd probably try to exorcise me."

"Then don't tell them that part. Just let them know you can see things and perhaps they can help." She insisted.

I snorted. "I'm pretty sure Naru has a clue. He's already confronted me about being a potential psychic. Seeing spirits wouldn't be that much of a surprise." I stood up with a stretch and a yawn. "I'm probably just exhausted though. Maybe I'm just seeing things."

"Doubt it." Mai smiled as I offered her a hand up as well. "You've been pretty spot on with ghosts so far. Though you do look like a mess. You think you can sleep alright, or should I wait around with you?"

I rubbed the back of my neck as we approached the haunted home. "Hm, I think I'll be alright if I listen to my iPod, but feel free to come check up on me every so often. If I'm lucky, I'm exhausted enough to just fall into a deep sleep, but you never know."

"Alright. I'll let Naru know."

"Thanks, Mai." I said, her smiling at the knowledge that I was thanking her for more than just informing Naru of my impromptu nap.

"Anytime."

* * *

Mai grew more worried about Yuu after that. The young woman was asleep in the main living room, but when Mai had glanced at the camera to check on her, see didn't look comfortable. Her face was set into a frown that looked pained and her headphones had fallen off. Mai assumed she was having another nightmare and would have gone down to check on her, if Naru hadn't sent Bou-san to go do an exorcism of Minnie. Mai, curious to see if there was a way to see the doll as Yuu saw it, watched carefully as Bou-san knelt before the doll and began his chants.

"Neh, Naru?" She chimed, making the man frown at her. "Can people see ghosts and possessed things differently?"

Naru turned around, folding his arms over his chest. "Why do you say that?"

"O-Oh, nothing." Mai smiled, feeling bad that she'd brought it up after Yuu had wanted to keep it secret. "Just curious."

Naru watched her for a second before turning back around. "I suppose it's possible that the way a spirit presents itself to people can be different. Either that, or there are some people who can see through a ghost's attempt to blend in."

Mai saw movement on the screen then and winced when she saw Yuu shoot up from the couch and holding her throat. Yuu had told her about what happened before in the accident and so Mai knew that her clutching her throat was a sign that she'd had the dream of dying again, but then she suddenly got up and hurried from the room. Mai blinked, confused and silently hoping Naru hadn't taken any interest in her behavior, before a scream rang out. The group hurried to the source, finding a panting Yuu standing over Noriko with wide eyes.

"Noriko-san? What happened?!"

"Ah, my leg." She breathed out, managing to sit up as Bou-san went to look it over.

"I think it's just sprained." He informed Mai, who cautiously went over to Yuu and touched her arm; making her jump and turn to her.

"M-Mai?"

Mai looked at her concerned when she stuttered. "Are you alright, Yuu?"

"Y-Yeah, it's just…" Yuu cleared her throat and Mai spotted how red it was from her pawing at it earlier, but the Noriko spoke.

"Someone suddenly pulled my ankle, before Yuu-san came in and then it stopped."

Mai spotted the child-sized handprint on the woman's ankle as Bou-san helped her up and turned to Yuu. She'd seen it too and had her eyes locked on it before Mai lightly touched her arm again to snap her out of it. She'd attempted a reassuring smile, but Mai could tell it was forced as they left the room and Kana took Noriko by the hospital to get her leg checked out. Mai, Naru and Yuu, however, went to Ayami's room to confront her about what was going on.

"Ayami-chan, what's going on? Did Minnie cause this?" Naru asked bluntly.

"Where's Minnie?!" Ayami shouted instead.

"I'm going to keep her for a while."

"Give her back!"

"How long has Minnie been talking?" He pressed on.

"Give her back! She's my friend!"

Naru had had enough at that point. "Ayami-chan, Noriko-san is hurt. Minnie did this to her, didn't she?"

Ayami flinched.

"We're all in danger, is that what you wanted?" Naru snapped, but Yuu grabbed his arm as Mai pulled Ayami to her.

"Yelling at a kid isn't going to get you answers any faster, Naru." Yuu chided him and he frowned, shrugging her hand off him as Ayami began to cry.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry! Minnie said not to speak with anyone. If I'm friends with someone else, she'll hurt me, so…"

Mai glared at Naru and he sighed, calming his voice down as he questioned her again.

"How long has Minnie been speaking to you?"

"Since we moved into this house." Ayami muttered.

"In the beginning, what did she say?"

"That my mommy is a witch and my daddy is her servant, and they're gonna kill me. She said my sister's on their side too." Ayami admitted softly. "Minnie told me she'd protect me only if I don't become friends with anyone else. If I forget and play with my sister, Minnie gets mad and hides my things and makes my room messy. She says that's my punishment."

Naru listened patiently. "Does Minnie ever bring friends with her?"

"Uh-huh. Lots of them that are about my age. They all work for Minnie."

"So this is all caused by Minnie." Naru concluded back at the base, shifting his gaze to Yuu, who frowned at him. "Seems you were correct, Yuu."

"I never said the doll did it." Yuu argued lightly. "I just said dolls creep me out."

Naru smirked slightly as Ayako spoke up.

"I wonder if the previous owner of the doll died and then possessed the doll."

"That's why I don't like dolls either." Bou-san admitted. "I'm with Yuu. They're spooky."

"I don't believe it's Minnie." Naru said then, making everyone question him. "The doll is just being manipulated by the spirits that are trapped in this house. We need to figure out who they are. Until we find that out, Ayami-chan's life is in danger."

Just then, Noriko cried out for Mai and everyone hurried towards her voice. Noriko and Kana had returned home from the hospital at some point and were looking up at the writing that had appeared on the wall.

 _Bad person_

 _Will be punished_

"Wha… Who… is this bad person? No way… Ayami-chan?" Mai gasped as Naru confirmed.

"Ayami-chan gave us information she wasn't supposed to give out. Minnie thinks she betrayed her. Mai. Stay with Ayami-chan at all times. Yuu, you too."

* * *

I sighed softly, sitting on the porch along with Mai and Noriko to watch over Ayami.

"Naru and the guys are cleaning that writing off the wall." Mai said quietly to Noriko, keeping the writing a secret from Ayami to prevent her from panicking.

I knew Bou-san was going to try and burn the Minnie doll today, but I also knew what else was supposed to happen and kept a close watch on Ayami as Mai chatted with Noriko. Kana had left a note as well, leaving the house because she was unable to stand it anymore and I honestly wished I could do the same. _And that bird that's been following me hasn't shown up here. Wonder if that's just a sign for how bad this place is._

"Hey sis, how's your ankle?" Ayami chirped happily as she wandered over and Noriko smiled.

"It's fine because you're always so kind to me. My pain went away."

Ayami lit up and bounded across the lawn. "I'll go pick some flowers for you. Mai-chan, Yuu-san, come with me!"

"Sure!" Mai said happily, rotating her arm in preparation while I grimaced.

 _Why this kid insists on inviting me is anyone's clue, but at least I'll be around when… Minnie shows up._ We started picking flowers, myself not looking pleased as Ayami put some in my hair with a giggle, when suddenly her hand got stuck in the bushes.

"Ayami-chan?" Mai questioned, seeing the panic on her face and she grabbed a hold of Ayami.

"No, my hands are stuck!"

"Hold on!" Mai shouted, digging into the bush as I stood with a scowl at the dark black smoke covering it, before it suddenly disappeared and Ayami took off crying.

"Mai-chan, stop her! There's a pond over there!" Noriko shouted, but I was hot on her tail.

"Minnie, I'm sorry!" Ayami cried as I hear Mai trying to catch up to us. "I'm sorry! Don't be mad at me! Please don't be mean to me! I'm sorry!"

She'd grabbed a hold of a tree just as I reached the water's edge and felt my blood freeze.

 _Drowning, choking, can't breathe._

My breath hitched, before there was a splash. Ayami had fallen in, but I couldn't move. The water stared up at me as though it was going to swallow me whole and then Mai rushed past me into the water and pulled Ayami out.

"Yuu! _Yuu_! Snap out of it!"

I blinked as a sharp pain broke me out of my daze, Mai looking at me with her hand raised and her face pale. I brought my hand to my cheek, feeling the heat from her abrupt slap as she turned a little pink in embarrassment.

"Sorry, but you were just staring at the water." She said quietly.

"Y-Yeah, no. Thanks, really." I said, not risking another glance at the pond as the group of us headed back to base to let Naru and the others know what had happened.

I didn't really want to go with them as they explained the background of the house and went to wait in the base with Lin. The moment I walked in though, my eyes went towards Minnie sitting on a small cabinet and the color drained from my face. She was a burnt charcoal black now, in my sight, but her eyes still moved wildly and there was hints of her hair and dress embedded on portions of her melted skin. When I looked at her face though, her eyes suddenly stopped moving and locked onto me, and I felt my throat tighten. I turned away and moved towards a chair by Lin, who gave me a small frown due to my sitting closer than I normally would have, but I could still feel Minnie's eyes locked on my back as I leaned my elbows onto the desk before me and held my head in my hands. _God, maybe I_ should _have listened to the history of this house instead of coming back here._

I could feel it though, _hear_ Minnie chuckling behind me as she watched me. Lin had passed me the paperwork for the history of the house when I'd asked him for a distraction and I'd been trying to read up on it, but with her here, it was nearly impossible. I swore I heard her moving at a point; my back going stiff as my ears picked up on her shuffling about. Lin hadn't moved, so I knew that it was Minnie messing with me, but that didn't make it any less frightening. _She's moving. I-I can hear her getting closer, but I have to ignore it. If I don't react, then perhaps she'll get bored and stop. J-Just ignore it. That's all I can do. Ignore her and not draw attention to myself._ Or so I said, but the scratching of her mangled body crawling along the floor was practically behind me now. Then I felt a tap on my chair and my breath hitched. _She's crawling up the back of my chair. Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God._

She'd crawled up the back of the chair, her little fingers brushing against my back and then a hand grabbing the top of my shoulder. I'd forgotten how to breathe as she began to pull herself up and the scent of smoke reached my nostrils, just before a darkened hand moved into view alongside a bright blue, glass eye. I couldn't take it. I yelped and threw myself out of my chair, hitting my back on the desk and tripping over my own two feet as I fell to the floor. Lin had jumped when I did and I hadn't realized that the others had just returned and were now looking at me in stunned surprise. I could hardly breathe though. My heart was in my throat and my panicked eyes shifted to see Minnie sitting where she had been this whole time, but her giggling still rang in my ears and her eyes stared directly at mine.

"Yuu?"

My gaze shifted away from Minnie to Mai, who stepped forward cautiously.

"Are you okay? What happened?"

I winced when Minnie giggled, and forced myself to not look at the decrepit doll. "N-Nothing. It was… nothing."

"It sure doesn't look like nothing." Bou-san said, as he righted the chair I'd tumbled out of.

"I just…" I swallowed thickly, trying to get my racing heart under control. "I thought it moved."

All eyes went to the doll, but Minnie simply sat there as Lin spoke up.

"It hasn't moved at all. I didn't hear or see anything."

I grimaced as I got up, moving past everyone. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right. I-I probably just imagined it… I'm going to get some air."

I went for the door, opening it only to see a smiling John and Masako waiting outside about to ring the doorbell.

"John! Masako!" Mai chimed from behind me, having followed me down.

"Long time no see." John smiled, but Masako wasn't quite as pleased.

"What's going on here?"

"Masako?" Mai questioned.

"This is terrible. I've never seen a haunted house this intense." She murmured, looking faint and I moved past her with apologies to go sit on the curb by the street once more, struggling to keep Minnie's chuckles from getting to me. _God, what am I doing? It's just a stupid doll. I can't let it continue to get to me like this. They're already suspicious of me and now that I did that, there's no way they're not suspicious now._ A shiver racked my spine and I stiffened, turning quickly when I heard footsteps behind me.

"Naru?" I questioned, rather surprised to see him here. "Shouldn't… Shouldn't you be back at the base with everyone?"

"John is saying a prayer for Ayami. I was simply curious as to your reaction earlier and if you would like one as well."

"W-Why would I want one? Ayami's the one in danger." I said, cursing myself for stuttering.

He hummed, folding his arms over his chest and looking off into the distance. "Mai asked me something curious today, while you were napping." His gaze shifted to mine as I tried to keep a neutral expression. "She asked me if people could see possessed objects differently than others who see spirits."

 _Mai, what part of_ secret _don't you get?!_ I mentally questioned, but looked at Naru confused.

"Yeah, alright. And?"

"What does Minnie look like, Yuu?" He asked me then, and I struggled to hold back a wince.

"Blonde hair, blue eyes, pink dress." I responded as simply as possible.

"Hm, I expected more detail from you. You seem relatively clever, after all. Unless there's a reason _why_ you can't be more descriptive."

I almost considered informing him of how I saw Minnie, but then Bou-san suddenly hurried out of the house and called to us.

"Naru! Minnie's disappeared!" He said as I got up and we followed him back into the home. "I left it sitting in our base and while we weren't paying attention it snuck out."

"It'll show up soon." Naru said, glancing back at me and making me stiffen. "I have no doubt."

We returned back to the base and were keeping an eye on the cameras and the readings we were getting in all of the rooms; Mai having brought me some tea to help keep my nerves calm. Once the clock chimed two, though, we finally got something.

"Naru! We're picking up something on the mike!" Mai called out and Naru had Lin turn it up as chills went down my spine.

The sound of children screaming and crying filled the room and Mai looked at me in concern as she spoke.

"They sound as if they're calling for Ayami-chan."

"If John's prayer was effective, 'kekkai' may become useful." Bou-san hummed, making Mai turn to him.

"Kekkai?"

"It's a spell to prevent evil spirits from entering."

The cries stopped then and my frown deepened.

"What… I wonder what just happened." Mai muttered, before Ayako suddenly burst into the room with a cloth bundle.

"Naru! Minnie came to see Ayami-chan!"

"What?!"

"I've got it in here." She said, handing it over and allowing Naru to unravel it. "I noticed something at the end of Ayami-chan's futon. So I flipped it up and there it was."

I grimaced as Minnie was revealed, giggling away with a grin on her melted porcelain face.

"Is Ayami-chan okay?" Naru asked.

"Yes."

"Good. Yuu?"

I looked up at him and he smirked.

" _Catch._ "

He tossed Minnie at me and I caught the bundle out of reflex, but immediately went pale and dropped it onto the ground, stepping away from it. I winced as the doll hit the ground with a 'thud', feeling eyes on me as Naru stepped forward and picked it up.

"Would you mind explaining _now_ , Yuu?"

I glared at him, annoyed that he'd done this in front of everyone, leaving me no way out.

" _Fine._ " I snipped, fed up with him. "I don't see Minnie the same as everyone else. Happy?"

He raised a brow, challenging me and I groaned.

"Look, she's probably all pretty and blonde in a frilly dress or something to you, but all I see is a raggedy torn up doll. She's got tuffs of hair missing, her dress is in shreds and dirty, and her eyes… they don't sit still they're constantly moving. And ever since Bou-san tried to set her on fire, she's turned a dark charcoal black and is melted in some places."

"You're kidding." Bou-san muttered and I glared at him as well.

"Remember when I bumped into you while watching her on the screen? That's because she locked eyes with me and launched herself at it. She was testing me and because I reacted, she's been messing with me ever since. When you guys walked in here earlier, I had panicked because I had heard her crawling across the floor. I _felt_ her climbing up the back of my chair. I could smell the smoke from her and then she was on my shoulder and peered around to look at me." I turned to scowl at Naru. "Happy? Now you know I see weird shit all the time."

Naru smirked smugly. "I had a feeling."

I growled, ready to jump him if Mai hadn't held me back as he turned to John and asked him to do an exorcism on the doll. I was smart and stayed away from the exorcism; not wanting to have to watch what that would be like with my view of things. The group soon returned to our base though, announcing that the doll had actually burned this time when they set it aflame. _Good riddance. That thing was creepy as hell._

"I think the true character of Minnie was the spirit trapped in this house." John said. "I wonder if it was the spirit of all the children who died here?"

"Most likely." Bou-san tacked on. "Their spirits are so lonely that when a child comes into this house, they try to take it away with them."

 _They're completely wrong, but I don't need Naru figuring out I know how this goes. He understands that I see things and he's probably already suspicious about my earlier reactions with helping Mai and such, but I'll try to do better about keeping that bit a secret._

"Mai, how is Masako doing?" Naru asked then and she frowned.

"She still feels ill."

"I see. Let's perform an exorcism." Naru declared, handing Monk a paper. "The first child who died in this house was Yuki Tachibana. Here are the years of her birth and death, and her Kaimyo. She belonged to the Jodo Sect of Buddism."

"This information dates back 70 years." Bou-san muttered in disbelief. "I'm impressed how well you researched it."

"It was easy."

 _Yeah, just wish this would be. Even being in the house might mess me up during this exorcism._ I mused once Naru had gotten things set up and sent the little girl and her sister to a hotel. _Wish I could just leave like that._ Instead, however, I was sitting in the base watching as Monk gave us a thumbs up in the camera and started his chanting.

"The temperature's dropped." I muttered, checking the levels. "The bed is down to thirty-five degrees Fahrenheit."

"How about the mike?" Naru asked.

"Tape's rolling, but so far, nothing." Lin replied. "It's unusually quiet." He paused then. "A rapping sound has started and some knocking."

Mai called out frantically then. "Naru, the living room!"

All eyes went to the living room, where a fog had actually settled over it.

"Lin, what's the temperature in the living room?" Naru asked.

"Twenty-eight degrees."

"Below freezing?!" He quickly called up Monk on the mike. "Monk, your room's not where the problem is! It's the living room!"

" _The living room?_!"

"Naru!" Mai called out again and one look at the screen had me physically ill.

 _God, it's like a psychedelic trip or something! The feeling is just..._ I pushed out of my seat and stood, moving to the nearest waste basket and losing my lunch as the wails of the children sliced through me like cold knives. I could barely hear Bou-san over the cries of pain as he'd moved into the living room to try and exorcise the kids.

"N-No." I breathed out, remembering what happened next and who was going to show up behind Bou-san.

"Yuu?" Mai called out in worry, but I moved as quickly as I could out of the room as Naru called out after me.

"Yuu! Don't!"

I ignored him, hurrying into the living room where Bou-san turned to me in shock.

"Idiot! Don't come in here!"

"You're the idiot! Get out! There's more than just the kids in here!" I shouted, the very air thick with black and purple smoke; making me cough. "S-She'll come after—"

I could physically feel my heart stop as a pitch black tendril of smoke went right through me. My entire body went numb and I couldn't move or feel anything. I feared that the ghost was physically pushing my soul out of my body; leaving me to float adrift much like she was. Then the hands tightened around my throat. I saw Bou-san running towards me as I unconsciously reached up to my throat and my legs gave out from under me as her voice slithered through my mind.

" _I won't let you interfere."_

Then, I was released. I fell forward onto a hand, the other clutching my chest as I choked on the smoke around me and attempted to get my body into working order once more.

"Are you okay?" Bou-san questioned, helping me to my feet and half carrying me out of the room. "Let's get out of here."

"H-Hole." I croaked out, pointing behind him and he turned to see the entrance of the well that had opened up in the floor.

"Later. Right now, we need to wait for things to calm down and get you looked at." He said, hauling me up to the base with a wince. "There's bruising on your throat."

 _It felt like a whole_ hell _of a lot more than that._ I mentally wheezed; my entire body feeling like dead weight and making every move a struggle. _What the hell was that anyway? That was terrifying! More than that stupid doll, but that was… I could feel everything just stop and something in me just being shoved. J-Just how susceptible is this body to possession?!_ I barely realized when I'd been settled down into a chair, until Naru's dark eyes were right in front of me and his hand touched my neck lightly.

"What happened?" He demanded in a tone that completely contradicted the almost kind actions. "What did you see?"

"A-A woman." I croaked out, wincing at my aching throat while he pulled his hand back. "Old f-fashion, traditional kimono. S-Said something about a little girl. T-Tomiko."

"Tomiko?" He questioned briefly. "And in the room? What happened there?"

"It was covered in black smoke." I coughed with a wince remembering it. "A piece broke off and attacked me. I-I think it was the woman."

Mai hurried over then as I choked some more, almost feeling the black smoke in my lungs as she shooed Naru away.

"Just leave her be, Naru! Can't you see she's hurt?!"

I waved Mai off, earning a scolding glare of my own. "I-It's fine. Sooner this is over, the b-better."

"Let's wait until morning and then we'll inspect the well." Naru declared, giving me a look. "I want to get Masako here to look at it anyway, and I have some more research to do."

He walked off towards the computers as Mai grumbled under her breath.

"Jerk."

I smiled a little, nudging her as I stood up slowly. "Be nice, Mai. Least he's _trying_ to be civil. Now come on. You should rest up too."

She begrudgingly followed me as we moved into the only other room we were using to sleep; hoping that whatever happened in the next few hours would end this case for good.

* * *

"This well already existed beneath the floor. It's a pretty old one." Bou-san commented as Masako put her hand to her mouth and Yuu shifted uneasily, looking a little green.

"To me, it seems this well goes deep into the earth and at the very bottom, the children are unable to leave." Masako commented, explaining things further when the group returned to the base. "The spirit of a woman trapped here. She is hiding deep inside the well and she is calling out for more spirits of children by pretending to be their mother. The children want to go home, but they are so lost they cannot find their way out. The woman tries to lure new spirits by manipulating the spirits of the children already trapped. Minnie, who is actually Yuki Tachibana-san, is the leader of the group. But in reality, Yuki-san's spirit is in so much pain and agony that she just wants to stop this and go home."

"Who is 'Tomiko'?" Naru asked, glancing at Yuu; who'd remained silent since waking up.

"The woman's daughter. The woman is looking for her child." Masako explained. "Her own daughter. She gathers other spirits in the hopes of finding her."

"I see." He headed for the door and Mai called out to him.

"Naru, where are you going?"

"I'm leaving. I'm not sure when I'll be back. Please take care of things."

He left no room for argument and headed out as Bou-san went ahead and took the lead.

"Who's turn is it to do the exorcism this time?"

Ayako and John exchanged looked, before Ayako huffed.

"No problem. I'll do it. Bou-san and John, could you please go stay with Ayami-chan?"

They agreed and soon the miko was seated with Mai and Yuu behind her as she started her prayers; though Yuu had questioned if they should have just waited for Naru earlier. _Darn it, Ayako. What kind of psychic are you anyway? Since when is a miko too scared to pray by herself?_ Mai mentally complained, before her eyes widened at the cold air that suddenly brushed up against her cheek. _Cold air? Where is it coming from?_ She looked at Yuu, who had her eyes locked on the hole where the well was, looking pale as knocking started up. Ayako paused in her chants then.

"Ayako, keep going!"

"Ah, I know!"

Yuu reached out then, grabbing a hold of something with a cringe as Ayako flinched away.

"Ayako!" Mai called out.

"I just felt something!"

"Stay focused! You're a miko, right?!"

"Mai, we've got a bigger problem than that." Yuu said, pushing her back.

"What? What is it?"

"Get out and get help. _Now_."

"What? Wh—"

Mai was cut off as she spotted something. Red marks on Yuu's wrist that seemed to form from nothing. Before she could question her though, something grabbed her own leg and her eyes widened.

"Mai?"

"Ayako! Get help now!" Yuu shouted, before she was abruptly yanked forward.

Both her and Mai were pulled towards the well as Ayako cried out and Lin rushed into the room. It was too late though, and soon the two were pulled into the well; everything going black. Mai was the first to wake, except she didn't wake in the bottom of a well. _Where… am I?_ She questioned herself, looking around at the traditional Japanese-styled room before spotting a little girl playing with a ball outside. _That's not Ayami-chan. I wonder who she is…_ A man in a hat and coat approached the girl and dread filled Mai. _No… You shouldn't talk to him. I'm not sure why, but please don't go with him… Wait… Don't!_ Mai reached out, but a voice called out.

" _Tomiko!"_

Mai looked to see a woman chasing after the girl, grabbing her hair. _Is that her mother?_

" _Tomiko! Oh, no, Tomiko!_ Tomiko _!"_

Mai turned away, but her eyes were brought to another sight. The same woman crying as she looked down into a well. Mai went to stop her, but hands grabbed her elbows and she stopped to see Naru shaking his head sadly and Yuu, watching on silently.

" _Tomiko!"_

The woman cried out again and Mai cried out, but then she woke up to someone calling out to her.

"Mai! Yuu! Are you okay?!"

Ayako was at the top of the well and Mai blinked, feeling warm and moving only to see Yuu wrapped around her beginning to stir.

"Are you hurt?!"

 _That's right, we…_ "No! I'm fine! I'm alright! I think Yuu is too!"

Yuu groaned, pushing herself up with a hand on her head as she grumbled under her breath.

"Lin's coming down to get you both out!" Ayako informed the two.

 _Yuu and I fell down in the well._ Mai realized, thinking about the dream she'd had as Lin made it down.

"Any injuries?"

"Nope." Mai said, brushing herself off as Yuu stood with a grimace; voice still hoarse after the previous day.

"Just a bump on the head and Mai's elbow in my ribs."

"Hand me the chair." Lin called up and Ayako lowered a chair to help them out, while Mai made sense of her dream.

 _That woman… she must have thrown herself into this well and her daughter, maybe she was kidnapped and never came home. So she was sad and miserable and committed suicide in the well._ Mai and Yuu were brought to the couch where Mai explained the dream she had to the others as Ayako patched up a small cut on her leg and Lin looked at Yuu's head for injury.

"A kidnapper?" Ayako questioned.

"I think so. Hey, do you think my dream meant anything?" Mai asked curiously.

"Yeah, right. You're not a psychic so why would your dream mean anything?" Ayako scoffed and Yuu frowned.

"It wouldn't mean anything, except I had the same dream."

Eyes went to her as Lin shifted away and brought a hand to his mouth.

"I don't know if your dreams mean anything or not, but it would all make sense."

"You think so too?"

"Then what should we do now?" Ayako asked as Mai flopped back on the couch and Yuu brought a hand to her forehead as she leaned against the arm on the opposite end of the couch. "It would be impossible for me to exorcise her."

 _My whole body hurts._ Mai mused with a small frown. _I wonder if I hurt myself when I fell._ She slipped back to sleep, dreaming once more as Yuu glanced at her with a small frown of her own.

* * *

"Seriously, are we going to be okay, Naru?!" Someone shouted and I wearily opened my eyes in annoyance at being disturbed from my nap.

"Lin, please play everything that's been recorded so far." Naru ordered as Mai stared at the man in surprise.

"You're back?!"

Naru gave her a look. "Where'd you think I'd be?"

Mai was up and on her feet in an instant, whereas I slowly rose and went to get something to drink. My throat still hurt.

"If all of you came back, what about Ayami-chan and Noriko-san?!"

"We left them at the hotel. That's what Naru told us to do." Bou-san replied.

"Will they be safe there?!"

"They should be fine. We're going to close this case tonight."

"Are you serious?!"

I went over to Mai and shoved a cup of tea in her hands, showing her my annoyance at her shouting. She turned a little pink in embarrassment, but accepted the tea and went quiet.

"What do you think I was doing while I was gone?" Naru asked. "All of you were here, but you've only made matters worse."

"I tried to tell them to wait." I croaked out, wincing and sipping my hot drink.

"Give me a break!" Ayako complained. "You don't know what we've been through. This spirit is unbelievably difficult to deal with!"

"That's pretty obvious judging by how intense this poltergeist has been. The root of the problem is very clear. The mother is looking for her child. She just wants her daughter brought back."

"Even I knew that!"

"So we've just got to bring them back, yeah?" I asked and Naru looked at me before nodding.

"Exactly but, of course, it would be impossible to bring Tomiko back to life, and meaningless to do so anyway. Tomiko would be an adult now and her mother wouldn't understand."

"Then what—"

Naru ignored her and turned to Masako. "Hara-san, how are the spirits doing?"

"They're all in the living room. They still haven't tried to leave for the hotel."

"Hey, shouldn't we be worrying about our own safety too?" Ayako questioned in worry.

"Are you going to abandon Ayami-chan?!" Mai said, more concerned about the girl.

"Yeah, I wouldn't want them to make me one of their spirit servants."

Mai looked at them in shocked disbelieve at where their priorities lay, but I just sighed as Naru cut in.

"You guys can feel free to leave at any time. I don't need you if you're that caliber of psychic mediums."

"Do you really think it's possible to win?"

"You either believe in yourself, or you don't." Naru turned to me then, making me frown. "I assume you'll be leaving, Yuu? Considering the circumstances."

I scoffed. "You obviously don't know me well enough, if you think I'm leaving."

He smirked at that as Mai muttered my name in shock, before Bou-san and Ayako both sighed.

"Okay, maybe I'll trust Naru and stick around." Bou-san gave in. "But I hope I don't die from being overworked."

"If you do, I'll be sure to pick up your bones at your funeral." Ayako grumbled and Mai let out a sigh of relief as we prepared to exorcise the woman.

"At any rate, she has too many children spirits working for her for us to block." Naru said. "And she's the heart of the problem. Unless we can lure her out of the well, it's futile."

"Yeah? Then what are we going to do?"

"We have to disperse the child spirits. Matsuzaki-san?" He called out to Ayako. "Please make some charms against evil spirits and hang them on all the walls in the house.

"The same charms we put in their hotel room? The spirits will break through them sooner or later."

"No problem. We'll set up a kekkai inside the house. Our main goal isn't preventing the spirits from going near Ayami-chan. It's to lock them up in the house. Then we open up a kimmon."

"What's a kimmon?" Mai asked and I tuned out the explanation of the 'spirit gate' as Naru informed Bou-san that he was going to disperse the spirits from there.

"But won't they just go right back into kimmon?" Ayako questioned.

"They only need to be dispersed for a short while. If we can reduce the number of spirits around the woman spirit, it should work. John, you stay in the living room and disperse the spirits there. Well then—"

"Hey, wait. Then who's going to exorcise the woman's spirit?"

All eyes went to Naru.

"No way…"

Naru smirked, not admitting to it or denying it. "Mai, I want you to stay with Hara-san and Yuu…" He looked at me and I scowled. "Well, I'm sure you already know what you'll be doing."

"Ass." I grumbled, earning a smack in the arm from Mai.

"Yuu!"

We all went to get ready then, though Mai stayed right on my heels.

"Neh, Yuu? What did he mean? What are you going to be doing?"

"Bait." I grumbled.

"What?!"

"We need something to lure her out and something for her to focus on once she _is_ out to give Naru a chance to exorcise her or whatever. Seeing how Minnie took an interest in me so quickly, I'm assuming that I'm naturally prone to attracting spirits or some such nonsense. A spirit smorgasbord, if you will."

I cleared my throat after talking so much, but Mai was more than displeased.

"But you can't do that! You could get hurt!"

I sighed as we paused outside the living room. "Look, Mai. The way I see it one of three things could happen. One, I go in there, play bait and Naru fails somehow and I die or whatever. Two." I continued before she could protest. "I don't go and the spirit comes after me anyway and I die. Or three, I go, Naru succeeds, and this mess is over and done with. And I don't _enjoy_ toying with spirits, Mai, so believe me when I say if there was a way to keep me out of this mess, I would. But I got involved with Naru and them because I wanted to help you, so it would be nice if you gave me some encouragement here." I grumbled, pulling a hand through my hair. "I already died once. Going in there and asking to die again, isn't exactly _pleasant_."

My voice cracked on the last word and I coughed a bit, wincing at my tender throat, but Mai placed her hand on my arm in concern.

"I'm sorry, Yuu." She apologized, growing confident. "You're right. I should be encouraging you. So… good luck."

I smiled a little, before letting out a soft sigh as I prepared myself for what I was about to get into.

* * *

"Dear heavenly God." John started, pouring some holy water as the living room creaked and Masako grabbed onto Mai's arm in fear.

I swallowed thickly though, throat tight as that dark smoke started to rise up again. I was first to catch sight of the child that reached for Mai and lifted my lip in a snarl as I grabbed the ghost and threw it away.

"Yuu? W-Wha—"

I ignored Mai for now, eyes focused on the hole as John went on and Naru called out to us.

"Hara-san, Yuu, how is it going?"

"They're confused. They don't know what to do." Masako called out. "There seems to be fewer of them now. They're fleeing the living room. They're crying."

"And lashing out." I added on, wincing as a child slipped past me; it's form passing through my arm briefly and causing a sharp pain.

Masako gasped then and my own breath hitched.

"She's coming out."

I began to choke on the black fumes, clutching my throat as I stumbled back slightly, glaring at the woman emerging from the well.

"Tomiko-san is not here!" Masako called out. "No matter how hard you look, she's not here. Those other children are not Tomiko-san, so please set them free!"

"M-Masako, stop…" I gasped out, the space in front of me nearly pitch black with smoke now.

"They all want to return to their own mothers, so please—"

Swirling masses began to crawl out from the well below the woman. Hands grasping at the open air and turning their sights on us. Masako cried out and John stepped before us, but was tossed aside like a ragdoll, giving the woman a full view of me standing protectively before Mai and Masako. The black smoke shifted around her, before the inevitable happened. I tried to dodge it, but the black sliver passed into my stomach and I fell to my knees as another ran through my shoulder. I was scared, _terrified_ even. It felt like it was trying to rip me apart, tear something from my body, and it hurt. A white-hot pain passing through my veins that I could do nothing about. I couldn't move. I couldn't even scream. It came down to which one of us had more strength, more pull. Was she going to be able to rip my soul out or would I somehow prevail?

Thankfully, it didn't come down to that. Naru had stepped forward and offered a small wooden doll to the woman who took it under the belief that it was her daughter. The black smoke faded from my body and returned to the woman before a soft glow enveloped the room, before disappearing as well.

"They've disappeared. They all went home." Masako breathed out as I panted and a bead of sweat dripped off the end of my nose.

"Yuu?" Mai called out hesitantly as I quivered from my position on the floor.

"Please." I muttered, eyes locked on the ground. "P-Please, don't make me do that a-again."

Silence ensued for a moment before Naru responded to my plea.

"Very well."

A long breath escaped me as I finally closed my eyes in relief and Mai hurried over to drape her arms over me in comfort; the spirits finally gone and everyone safe.


	3. Chapter 3

I filed papers idly, glancing over my shoulder as Naru came out of his private office and settled on a couch. Mai, quick as ever, stood.

"Are you taking a break, Naru? Would you like a cup of tea?"

"Sure." He answered, though I knew what Mai was up to.

 _Naru usually has to state she's slacking off or call out for tea first. She rarely just offers unless she's either in a good mood, sees he_ isn't _in a good mood, or she wants something from him._ I sighed lightly, placing another binder onto the bookshelf and taking some papers to the filing cabinet in the corner. _Probably because of that girl who came in earlier. I just_ happened _to make some face that she caught sight of, and now she won't let it go._ I pulled a hand through my hair as Naru called out.

"Those better be in alphabetical order, Panda."

I twitched in annoyance and shot a glare over my shoulder at his smirk, not taking kindly to his nickname for me. _Like it's_ my _fault I have trouble sleeping. Ever since that stupid doll case, it's gotten worse. Jerk. That's the last time I play bait for you._ I slammed the cabinet closed and moved back to the desk where more folders and papers sat; taking a seat to put the files in the appropriately marked folder as Mai came back with his tea.

"Hey, Naru. Something's been bothering me."

"So?"

Mai made a face at that. "Just, 'so'? Shouldn't we normally ask, 'what's the matter?' or something like that?"

"Unfortunately, unless it's something work-related, I really don't have time for it." Naru responded coldly. "Go bother Yuu."

"Oi. You're not the only one working, jerk." I grumbled, snapping the rings of a binder closed and standing to place it where it should be.

"Actually, it is related to your most favorite work." Mai cut in, trying to smooth things over. "Do you remember the story a high school student told you about her classmate being possessed by a fox spirit?"

"I probably remember it more clearly than you."

Mai finally snapped at that comment. "I'm sure you do! Because you're the one who rejected her and told her 'bring your friend to a psychiatric hospital' instead of visiting our office!"

Naru sighed as I remembered the girl who spoke of her friend eating sand and claiming of a fox spirit possession. _I'm not exactly thrilled. This is that case with that one girl who lies about bending spoons… And the psycho teacher. I'd rather deal with the ghost dog that's coming up. Least that Yasuhara kid will be at that one. He was always amusing. This case though, not so much._

"I gave her the recommendation I did because it sounded like something that should be seen by a doctor." Naru told her calmly.

"Well, you could have said it a little more politely, you know? You could have at least have referred her to someone you know or—"

Mai was cut off as the door opened and a very loud greeting came from the flashy man who had entered.

"Hello! Hello, Naru-chan. You know I should've known better than to come to Shibuya on a Sunday." He said, taking a seat next to the startled Mai and began to remove his coat and hat. "Ah, Mai-chan, can I have a glass of ice coffee? How are you doing, Yuu-chan?"

I shrugged. "I'm filing paperwork that Mister Stick-Up-His-Ass is too lazy to do himself."

"Yuu!" Mai scolded me, before turning to see the man was actually Bou-san. "B-Bou-san, that outfit…"

"Oh, this? It's for my part-time job."

"A part-time job?"

"In a back-up band."

" _Hah_?!"

I sighed at Mai's loud expression of shock and proceeded to ignore her and Bou-san's conversation about his bass playing. _That's the problem with knowing about everything. Takes the fun out of learning something new._ After a while though, even Naru was tired of the dull conversation.

"So? What brought you here today?" He asked before their conversation could go on any longer.

"Oh, yeah. I actually came here to talk about a job. I need your expertise on something." He said, going into an explanation about one of his fans from the same high school as the girl who was in here earlier, and her troubles involving a desk and a number of train-related incidents.

Of course, when Mai heard and questioned him about the school to discover it was the same one, her eyes shifted to me. Naru caught the look though and exchanged one as well.

"Are _you_ the reason why she's pressuring me to look into this case?"

I flinched. "I just thought it was a bit odd. I mean, three people all at once? And now Bou-san? Next thing you know, the principal will be showing up too. Having this many incidents is suspicious, and it's not like I _told_ her to pressure you." I frowned, shooting Mai a glare. "She said I made a face."

"You did!" She added, pulling out the papers of contact information of our previous clients and showing Bou-san. "Naru turned them all down, but I was wondering if maybe you or John might want to help them out? So, I took their contact information."

Bou-san nodded. "Yuu is right. This many incidents in such a short amount of time? It's—"

The door opened again and an older gentleman called out.

"Hello?"

Mai stood to greet him. "Ah, yes? May we help you?"

"Please… may I have a word with you?" He handed over his card and Mai's eyes went wide as she looked at me in shock. "Lately, there have been a lot of strange things happening at my school, and I was wondering if you could please help us out?"

Mai slid the card across the coffee table towards Naru and the moment he saw that it was the principal of the school we had just been discussing, he shot me a suspicious look.

"It seems I have no other choice."

* * *

"Thank you for coming." The principal of Yuasa High School greeted, SPR having finally deciding to take the cases that had been flooding into their office from the school. "This is Yoshino-sensei. A student adviser. He'll give you a tour of our school. Please feel free to walk around and get familiar with the campus. It's our hope that you can solve the school's problems soon."

Mai noticed Yuu looking a little pale as they walked, but she hadn't complained or said anything yet, so Mai stayed silent as the group was brought to where their temporary base would be set up. The student advisor didn't leave though, and actually mentioned his own case of a disembodied hand knocking at his window at home. From there, it only grew worse as more and more students flooded into the base to discuss the various paranormal happening at the school. They described everything from silhouettes to hands poking holes in peoples' stomachs to the aforementioned train incidents. It didn't take long for Naru to request to see the desk and when it didn't look like Yuu was going to get up, he shot her a pointed look.

"Something you wish to say, Yuu?"

Yuu glared tiredly at him, but stood. "No. It's just uncomfortable here."

"Hm. Come tell me what you think about the desk."

"Fine… jerk."

* * *

"It's that one right there." The student pointed out and I grimaced.

 _God, it's pitch black. He better not make me touch that thing._ Naru brushed a hand over it though and some of the dark smoke covering it shifted, which I found curious.

"Does anyone sit here now?"

"Not anymore. The girl who was sitting here until recently is in the hospital now." The girl answered.

"And you guys haven't moved the location of the desk?"

"Nope. Haven't touched it."

"I also hear that your teacher has been acting strange."

She huffed. "That's right. He claims that he saw a ghost in a prep room, so now he won't come back to school! He would never have believed in ghosts before… Although, he's in a hospital now too."

We turned to her in surprise.

"Apparently, he's been saying he even sees ghosts in his hospital room. I heard he acts as if he's suffering from neurosis."

We dismissed the girl after that and Naru turned to me, gesturing towards the desk.

"Yuu?"

"What?" I grumbled, playing innocent and he rolled his eyes. "I'm not touching that thing."

Mai looked a little bothered. "Why? Is something wrong with it?"

Naru raised a brow at me, obviously curious and I sighed heavily.

"Look, alright? Sometimes, paranormal things to me have this black or dark violet smoke on them and that desk is covered in it. It's how I knew about the windows breaking and the shelves falling over in our last couple of cases." I partially lied.

 _The windows, yes. The bookcases were foreknowledge, but he doesn't need to know that._

"Then, your touching it could possibly explain some of this case." Naru urged. "Give us insight as to why it is paranormal, who it's for."

I hesitated, giving the desk another look and grimacing. I didn't like it at all. The feeling it gave off made me think of the spirit in our last case. The last time I'd been touched by the black smoke, it threatened to rip me apart. I knew this was just a curse with those wooden doll figures, but how did I know it wouldn't hurt me? Still, I reached out for the desk and placed my hand on it.

 _ **T**_ _h_ _ **e**_ _y_ _ **d**_ _e_ _ **s**_ _e_ _ **r**_ _v_ _ **e**_ _t_ _ **h**_ _i_ _ **s**_ _!_

 _ **H**_ _o_ _ **w**_ _d_ _ **a**_ _r_ _ **e**_ _t_ _ **h**_ _e_ _ **y**_ _?!_

 _W_ _ **h**_ _a_ _ **t**_ _g_ _ **o**_ _o_ _ **d**_ _i_ _ **s**_ _s_ _ **c**_ _i_ _ **e**_ _n_ _ **c**_ _e_ _ **n**_ _o_ _ **w**_ _?!_

 _ **I**_ _h_ _ **a**_ _t_ _ **e**_ _y_ _ **o**_ _u_ _ **a**_ _l_ _ **l**_ _. I_ _ **c**_ _a_ _ **n**_ _'t_ _ **s**_ _t_ _ **a**_ _n_ _ **d**_ _y_ _ **o**_ _u!_

 _ **Y**_ _o_ _ **u**_ _s_ _ **h**_ _o_ _ **u**_ _l_ _ **d**_ _j_ _ **u**_ _s_ _ **t**_ _d_ _ **i**_ _e!_

 _I_ _ **w**_ _a_ _ **s**_ _n'_ _ **t**_ _c_ _ **h**_ _e_ _ **a**_ _t_ _ **i**_ _n_ _ **g**_ _! I_ _ **d**_ _i_ _ **d**_ _n'_ _ **t**_ _k_ _ **n**_ _o_ _ **w**_ _w_ _ **h**_ _a_ _ **t**_ _e_ _ **l**_ _s_ _ **e**_ _t_ _ **o**_ _d_ _ **o**_ _!_

 _ **D**_ _i_ _ **e**_ _!_ _ **D**_ _i_ _ **e**_ _!_ _ **D**_ _i_ _ **e**_ _!_

I yanked my hand back with a sharp intake of air, out of breath as I stumbled back into the desk behind me with wide eyes.

"Yuu? Yuu, what happened?"

My hand shook as I looked at it, seeing wisps of black smoke swirling around it until it faded.

"Yuu!"

I jolted when Mai touched my shoulder and whipped around to her concerned expression.

"Are you okay?"

"I-I, um…" I swallowed thickly, looking back at my hand as it tingled. "I think so."

"What did you see?"

I turned to Naru and resisted a shiver as I closed my eyes and tried to explain what happened.

"I… didn't really see anything, but I felt… there was this anger. This isn't a spirit or whatever. I think… I think it's a curse."

"A curse?!" Mai and Bou-san exclaimed and I flinched away from them.

"Well, maybe? I don't know much about supernatural, but whatever it is, it's not happy. It's angry at a lot of people. And for the events to be this scattered and different, I doubt it's just a spirit."

Naru brought a hand to his chin as he thought, before we left the room and Mai offered up another thought.

"I wonder if this is contagious."

"How can you say such a thing? You mean, ghost stories are contagious throughout a school?"

"But you know…"

Bou-san shook her idea off. "So, what are you we going to do, Naru-chan? Do you think we should—"

He was cut off as Naru opened the door to our temporary base and found a couple of teachers sitting there.

"Um, can we speak to you?"

From then on, we got more and more visitors telling us stories until the school day was long over and Bou-san finally snapped; throwing down papers and covering his face.

"What the heck is happening at this school?! Who's going to get rid of this many evil spirits? Who? Is it going to be me? Let me cry right here!"

Mai sighed, making the group coffee as I silently sorted the papers by location and severity.

"This is unusual." Naru agreed. "I don't feel that each incident is that severe. However, having this many of them is unusual, don't you think?"

 _Isn't that what we've been saying since the beginning?_ I thought, rolling my wrist as it ached.

"This many cases at the same location, at the same time. If all of these cases were true events, there's definitely some reason behind it. I've already called the others as well."

"Oh, thank goodness." Bou-san sighed. "Least I won't be on my own."

I snorted. "Poor baby."

"Oi!"

"Panda."

I turned to Naru with a glare, but he ignored it.

"Get some sleep. I can't have you too exhausted to work tomorrow. I'm not about to start letting you get lazy now."

 _Jerk…_

* * *

"We won't be able to spend much time researching each individual case as there are too many of them." Naru explained, though I was only half listening as I eyed that little dead bird in the window. "We'll just have to try and get rid of as many spirits as possible. And if that doesn't work, we'll just have to come up with an alternate plan." He turned to Masako. "Hara-san, please look around the school. First, check the desk that the ghost supposedly came out of, then the art prep room. Then, the desk that's supposedly possessed by spirits, and the track team's locker room."

Masako giggled behind her sleeve. "It's okay if you just call me Masako, you know."

Naru sighed, talking to Ayako now. "Matsuzaki-san, would you please accompany Hara-san? And if you see any spirits, please get rid of them."

"I see. So, you didn't say anything back to Masako, huh? If it were someone else, you would have given them a difficult time." She teased him, but he just smirked haughtily.

"If you have so much time to be chatty, why don't you try using it to prove your talent for exorcism? I would love to see you succeed for once."

I snorted at that and he continued.

"At any rate, there isn't enough equipment to cover all the cases. I'll need to rely on everyone's psychic powers." He glanced at me and I frowned, crossing my arms over my chest as he turned and handed out headsets. "As you patrol around the school ground, please wear these. Mai, would you standby here and wait for my call?"

"Roger." She said, raising a hand. "What about you, Naru? And Yuu?"

"Lin and I will continue our research, and Yuu." He turned to me with a smirk and I resisted a shiver. "Will play guinea pig and will search various areas of the school while noting down anything suspicious as well as temperatures."

I lifted my lip in a snarl and clicked my tongue. "Fine. Whatever."

I took the clipboard he offered me and one of the headsets, before heading out to do my own search. I didn't care for it. I didn't care for legwork in general, really, but it was better than sitting around playing secretary. _Sorry, Mai. Although, you sort of get the good job. You're the first to meet Kasai and the psycho teacher._ I mused, writing down another temperature, before I suddenly stopped. There was something in the back of my mind, ringing like the chime of a bell. I turned, brows furrowed and left the room, heading down the hall with some unknown destination in mind, before I opened a door to see Naru, Mai, Kasai, and the teacher Ubusuna. They all turned to me and Mai looked concerned.

"Yuu? Is something wrong?"

I turned to her, but glanced back at the broken spoon Naru was holding that was tinged in light, almost shimmering grey smoke.

"No. I just… thought I felt something." I murmured, catching Naru's curious gaze briefly before turning away. "Sorry. Don't even know why I'm here, honestly."

I made to leave, but Naru stopped me.

"You might as well stay, Hisoka-san." He said, making me wince slightly at the use of my name. "Take notes."

My eye twitched, but I begrudgingly did as he said as Kasai went on to explain about her time bending spoons. _That jerk. If Mai gives anything away about me being psychic to Kasai later, then I'm going to have to deal with one of these curses too, thanks to him spouting out my name like that._ I glanced at the broken bits of the spoon Kasai picked up and connected, seeing a sort of light blue smoke curling around that, though it was quick to disappear as they discussed 'Gellerini' people ever so briefly before Naru challenged her to bend a spoon.

She grabbed one and focused on it, but there was so little of the blue smoke that nothing happened, so she slowly began to double over, to bend it on the chair. Naru stopped her.

"Don't do that. If you did that, you would be making the same mistake some of the Gellerini had made."

Mai looked confused and I explained.

"She was going to bend the spoon on the chair." I said, and they turned to me. "I've even seen people press the handle of the spoon to their palm in such a way as to making behind it easier. Though, if you ever get caught, that's the end for you. All it takes is once, then people start to doubt you ever could."

Naru nodded. "Most of the Gellerini's preternatural powers didn't last very long. In order to cover that up, they resorted to using various tricks. However, some of these tricks were revealed to the public, so people started calling them cheaters. The trick Kasai-san just tried to use is one of the same tricks the Gellerini used to use."

"But I _have_ bent spoons successfully before!" Kasai shouted as Naru placed the spoon down and I shrugged.

"So just say you can't do it now. People who believe you would understand, and those who don't usually aren't worth their grain in salt."

Naru agreed. "Any researcher is aware that the Gellerini's power can be unpredictable. If someone was to still doubt your ability, then they must not have believed you from the start anyway, so just ignore them."

Kasai hung her head as Ubusuna went over to comfort her.

"I'm the one that taught her that trick. Other teachers wouldn't believe her and she was put in a situation where she had no choice but to bend a spoon to prove she really did have preternatural power."

"But I haven't been able to bend one lately." Kasai admitted. "When I talked to Kei-sensei about it, she taught me that trick. At that morning gathering I talked back to the teacher who was giving me a hard time and that only made things worse. Then other teachers started questioning Kei-sensei. 'What in the world is the biology club studying these days?' they said. Some of the other members even quit the club. I wonder why we have to put up with this kind of drama?"

 _Because you used it to show off._ I thought bitterly. _Anyone who can deal with spirits who is smart, keeps it to themselves. Showing it off only gets you into more trouble than it's worth._

"Is that why you made that comment?" Naru asked her as I rubbed at my scarred arm unconsciously.

"Oh, you mean the one about killing that teacher with a curse? I was really upset when I said that."

"Did you mean it?"

"Oh, no. I wouldn't be able to actually kill him. Really." She said honestly, though I eyed the teacher as she smiled.

 _ **Y**_ _o_ _ **u**_ _s_ _ **h**_ _o_ _ **u**_ _l_ _ **d**_ _j_ _ **u**_ _s_ _ **t**_ _d_ _ **i**_ _e!_

I shivered as we left, rubbing at my wrist as it ached again, something I figured was a remnant of touching the desk before. _If it doesn't go away soon, I'll snatch some of John's holy water or something and see if that helps._

"It sounds like they've had a lot to deal with." Mai said as we headed back to base. "Just because she bent a spoon it turned out to be a major drama at school."

I scoffed. "Because she showed _off_ that she could bend a spoon. If she kept it to herself, then she wouldn't have any problems."

"Hm." Naru hummed, shooting me a small smirk. "Hiding. How telling."

I frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." He said. "Mai, Yuu, I need to ask you a favor."

 _Don't know why I should after you started messing with me again._ I thought with a roll of my eyes.

"You just saw me bend a spoon. Please, don't tell anyone about it."

"Why not? That was impressive." Mai commented and I gave him a smirk myself.

" _Now_ , who's trying to hide?"

He gave me a look that made me pause though, one of all seriousness and yet somber.

"Please." He said, turning away from me. "Especially Lin."

"Fine. I won't tell anyone." Mai said, before nudging me and making me rub my arm with a frown.

"Yeah, yeah. Alright. I won't say anything either." I grumbled.

"Thank you."

Mai must have seen something in his expression then, before she ducked her face into my arm as red went up to the top of her ears. _God, her and her crush._ I thought, ignoring the slight twinge in my chest as Naru called out.

"Are you coming in? I'm going to close the door."

Mai and I headed in once she released me and Naru asked the others who'd gathered in the base what they'd found. Masako, surprising everyone and making Mai, Naru, and Bou-san turn to me when she announced that there was no spirits.

"There's no spirit here anywhere? But that's… Yuu said that too." Bou-san commented as I sat down and held up my hands.

"Yeah, but I'm no medium and I was just looking at a single desk."

"Did you see anything while on your walk?" Naru asked and I stiffened before slowly shaking my head.

"I didn't see any spirits." Masako piped up, shooting me an almost jealous look. "I searched the entire school campus, but found nothing. I wonder if they're setting us up?"

"You mean the whole school? Is that some kind of joke?!" Bou-san shouted as John tried to calm him down and I frowned.

"There can be ways to cause accidents like that _without_ spirits, can't there? I still say it's possibly a curse."

"This case is going to be complicated." Naru responded, turning away from the window that my bird friend was unknowingly tapping on with it's beak. "How many of those witnesses you think were telling us the truth? Even if only some of them were, there were still quite a lot of submissions. There has to be some reason why so many people involved with this school are experiencing so many psychic phenomena, but that reason is still unclear. We can only depend on your psychic power at this, Hara-san."

She insisted though. "There aren't any spirits here."

Naru sighed. "I see."

"Masako isn't always right, you know." Ayako said and Masako lifted her sleeve.

"I'm correct more often than you are."

"I don't know about that! There's no way there aren't any spirits here."

"In fact, I can't seem to remember when you were _ever_ corrected, can you?"

"You're useless! Even if you _could_ see spirits, you could never get rid of them!" The two argued and I sighed, getting up to refill my coffee.

"Even if there were any, it's possible they're too weak to show up on our radar too." I muttered, not seeing Naru glance at me as I did. "We shouldn't give up on one conjecture based on an opinion either. Facts negate theories and whatever theory is left will be the answer."

"Huh?" Mai said, making me turn, but she was apparently talking to Naru.

"Nothing. I was just saying that I wish I had a reliable psychic who had an ability to see spirits accurately."

"But Yu—"

"Mai." I cut her off, not wanting her to give me completely away. "Can you make more coffee?"

"Huh? Are we out already?" She questioned, heading over to it as Naru locked eyes with me, but I turned away.

 _He only knows I see possessed objects, really. He doesn't know how well I see spirits and I'd like to keep it that way._ I sighed, taking a seat beside Mai at the table to sort through more paperwork since I'd had a decent walk-through of the building already. Mai, of course, turned to me once everyone had left.

"Are there really no spirits, Yuu?"

"Not that I saw." I murmured, setting aside one paper into a stack for that location before moving onto the next. "The only spirit I've seen is one that's been following me around lately."

"What? Really?"

I hummed. "It's a bird. Like a sparrow or something. It's annoying, but it doesn't bother me, so I've gotten used to it."

"Can I see it? Is it here?"

I raised a brow at her enthusiasm, but tipped my head towards the window. "It's been tapping on the glass a while now."

She turned, but frowned. "I don't see anything."

"It's a ghost, Mai."

"Right."

She yawned and I sighed.

"I'm just glad Masako didn't notice it, otherwise it might mess up this case."

"Oh, you mean…" She looked around and then lowered her voice. "You mean, your whole foreknowledge thing?"

"Mm." I hummed. "I'd say this one is rather mild, but I suppose it depends on what you want to consider 'mild'.

She yawned again and I rolled my eyes.

"Mai, just take a nap."

"No, no! Naru would kill me if I fell asleep." She argued, but I set aside another paper.

"Mai, I'll do the paperwork and will keep an eye out. If you need a nap, then take one. Who knows? You might have a useful dream again."

"Mm, you think?" She murmured, already getting sleepy as she leaned forward on the desk and settled her head into her arms.

She was out in less than a minute and I sighed again, taking off my coat and draping it over her shoulders; ignoring that it left my scarred arm out in the open. _No one will see it anyway until she wakes up. And that won't be until school the next morning when Kasai comes in._ I let out a yawn myself and begrudgingly got up and got more coffee. _Not like I'd be able to sleep anyway, with my nightmares._ I glanced up at the ceiling where I knew the ghostly woman would show up later. _God, what a place to end up in someone else's body._

* * *

The next morning, someone opened the door to the SPR's temporary base and Mai greeted Kasai as she entered. There was a moment of silence as Kasai glanced at the snoozing Yuu nearby, eyeing the scars on her arm briefly before Mai chuckled nervously.

"She stay up last night so I could sleep, so I figured I'd let her sleep this time."

"Oh… How's the exorcism going?"

"Eh, actually, not very well." Mai admitted. "A psychic medium is telling us that there's no spirit here."

"No way! There are way too many things happening for that to be true." Kasai argued, before quickly lowering her voice and calming down when Yuu let out a small grumble in her sleep.

"I agree with you." Mai said, giving Yuu a small glance as well. "But we don't have anyone else other than her and Yuu, who can see spirit—" She covered her mouth then, realizing she'd accidentally given that away. "Oh, please don't tell anyone I told you that. Yuu will _kill_ me."

Kasai didn't really answer her though. "Shibuya-san and you are psychic too, aren't you?"

"Ah, I'm not psychic. And Na—I mean, Shibuya-san is a ghost hunter. Although, I think he may actually be an onmyou-ji."

"An onmyou-ji? Wow, I'm impressed. Does Yuu say there's no spirits too?"

Mai nodded. "Yeah, but she thinks it's a type of curse or something. She doesn't have any background in the whole medium thing though, and she's trying to keep it secret that she can see spirits. She doesn't care for drama."

"Yeah, me either."

"Kasai-san, can't you see spirits?"

"Me? Oh, no. I don't have any ESP abilities."

"ESP?"

"You don't know what ESP is?" Kasai asked, before giving a brief explanation. "Some people believe that psychic power is a type of ESP. I only have PK and it's only a PK-ST ability."

"Wow. You know a lot about this stuff."

"I learned all this from Kei-sensei. She is very knowledgeable in parapsychology."

"You mean Ubusuna-sensei?"

Kasai nodded. "I feel bad for Kei-sensei. Because she tried to support me, other teachers and even the PTA are now against her. I've seen them completely ignoring her. But lately, I think things have gotten a little better. People who used to say that ghosts or ESP didn't exist are now experiencing it themselves. I hear that some have secretly come to speak to Kei-sensei about their experiences."

"It sounds like Ubusuna-sensei is a good person."

Kasai smiled a bit. "Yes. Even when I felt like the whole school was against me, she was always there. I've never met anyone that supportive to a stranger." Kasai spotted the time then and hastily stood. "Ah, I'm sorry. I promised to meet Kei-sensei. It was… nice speaking with you."

Mai smiled and waved her off, nearly jumping out of her skin when Yuu spoke up from behind her.

"She's annoying."

"Yuu!" Mai frowned. "You shouldn't say that. She's already got a tough enough time as it is."

Yuu stood and stretched, getting some coffee. "Yeah, but if she just didn't go about seeking sympathy and attention in the first place, none of this would have happened. And don't you think it's odd what she said about people believing in ghosts now? She was happy about it."

"Because people aren't attacking her for it. Yuu, what are you getting at? Why don't you like Kasai-san?"

Yuu slowly looked over at Mai before turning her gaze back to the coffee pot. "It's not Kasai-san so much as what she's doing, and how she's taking things. She doesn't see that this curse or whatever is giving people who deal with spirits and even _worse_ reputation. Sooner or later, there will be people who lash out. People who will attack her or Ubusuna-sensei because of something supernatural that happened to them or a friend, that they believe is their fault. Kasai-san is the one who brought supernatural into this school, so they'll assume that whatever happens to them is her doing."

"I guess you're right." Mai mumbled, not sounding pleased and Yuu sighed heavily, handing her a cup of coffee as well.

"I'm just saying that I don't care for how she's thrilled about this. That… and how close she is to Ubusuna-sensei."

"Why?"

"She just gives me a bad feeling." Yuu shrugged, though Mai felt there was something more that she wasn't telling her, but before she could question her about it, the others returned to the base.

* * *

I was silent during their explanation of PK powers and it wasn't long before Naru had heard enough and went with everyone to prepare an exorcism. He had left Mai and I here just in case (though, whatever that 'case' would be was a mystery to me) and Mai quickly grew anxious.

"Do you think spirits might appear in this room?!" She asked, jolting up and I calmly sipped my coffee.

"I already told you, there's no spirits here." I grumbled. "Though, if there were, I don't exactly see what makes you think this room is safe."

"Yuu!"

The door opened then and Naru walked in; Mai immediately clasping her hands in thanks.

"Naru!"

He glanced at me as if to ask what her deal was, but I just shrugged and he went to settle down at the table as Mai offered to get him some tea.

"How's it look?" She asked as she passed him a cup. "You think we can fix it?"

"I don't know yet."

"I see."

After a minute of silence, Mai looked thrilled, only to look at me and immediately lower her chin to the desk as though annoyed by my presence. _Probably upset I'm ruining her alone time with Naru._ I thought with a mental eyeroll, before there was a tap on the ceiling. _Oh, God. I nearly forgot._ I looked up with the others and stood, as the lights went out and the tap turned to knocking. Naru had begun to stand as well as something dark slowly come down from the ceiling.

"Naru… Hey, Naru is that… hair?" Mai stuttered out as he moved in front of her and I stood to his side.

A woman lowered herself from the ceiling, looking between Naru and I, before the door burst open and Bou-san hurried in.

"Nōmaku sanmanda bazaradan kan!"

The woman vanished and the light clicked back on as Mai sank to the ground and I let out a long breath, pulling a hand through my hair. _It looked at me. Damn, I knew I shouldn't have gone to sleep. Mai must have said something to Kasai. However… a part of me is kind of thrilled that I've been deemed a possible danger to Ubusuna's plan._

"What in the world was that?!"

"So, it's beginning to appear in here too." Naru muttered, ignoring Bou-san's yelling. "This is proof that we can't rely on Hara-san this time."

He shot me a look and I frowned.

"What?"

He went to say something, but Mai spoke up first.

"It… It was after Naru and Yuu."

"What?"

"That female spirit! It didn't appear because of this room. It came to attack Naru and Yuu! They're in danger!"

"Mai—"

"I had a dream last night. There were will-o'-the-wisps all over the school and that ghost was one of them. I'm not sure why I know this, but the moment I saw it I knew it was something really terrible!"

She sank to the ground and Bou-san tried to comfort her as I settled in a chair to await the next morning. It was rough going with my few hours of sleep to begin with and soon enough, I excused myself from Mai's side the next morning to take a walk outside. I had planned on walking down the road to grab a bite to eat and made it about half way there before there was a tugging on my coat. I frowned, turning to scold whoever was doing it, but it wasn't a person at all. The little sparrow who'd been following me was the culprit and it proceeded to tug at my coat even as I attempted to shoo it off.

"The hell is your problem?" I complained, taking a step back away from it only to hear the screeching of tires.

My eyes went wide as I turned around to see a car heading for me and I dove out of the way; landing harshly on the pavement. I rolled over onto my back to feel ice crawl over me as the dark-haired woman from the school phased out of the van that had hit the spot where I'd just been standing. _W-What the hell… What's going on?_ The sparrow threw itself at the woman who screeched and vanished before a man hurried over, looking just as pale as I was.

"Are you alright?!" He called out in concern. "I-I don't know what happened! I swore I put the brake on. Do you need an ambulance?"

I shook my head, slowly standing and ignoring the sparrow that settled on my shoulder and preened its puffed-up feathers. _No brake? No way. That van was_ accelerating _towards me. And that woman…_

"N-No, no. I'm alright. A-A bit shaken, but I think I'm okay."

He wouldn't let me leave without him giving me his card should anything come up, and he bowed repeatedly as I made my way back towards the school. I barely made it around the corner before I took off in an all-out sprint, probably terrifying some of the students I passed as I hurried back to the base. I must have looked worse than I thought when I burst into the room—not expecting Lin and Naru to be there—because Mai immediately stood with wide eyes.

"Oh my God. Yuu, what happened?"

"W-What?"

Naru stood up, eyeing me. "You're bleeding."

I looked down to see my right hand scraped and bleeding, staring at it, but not really seeing it. "O-Oh."

"Don't just 'oh'!" Mai complained, grabbing a first aid kit from the corner and rushing over; taking my hand. "What happened? What did you do?"

"I, um… I just went for a walk. Thought I'd grab some food, but… Well, I-I guess some guy forgot to put his brakes on."

"You were hit by a car?!"

"I dove out of the way." I argued.

"However?" Naru added, knowing I was leaving something out and I grimaced as Mai dabbed at my hand with an alcohol swab.

"The, um… The van was accelerating." I murmured, rubbing my other hand over the back of my neck. "And that ghost woman phased out of it."

"What?!" Mai shouted in my ear and I tugged my hand out of her grip before she could injure me more.

"I see…" Naru replied more quietly. "I suggest not going out on your own anymore. Take myself, Lin, or one of the others with you. Is your hand the only injury?"

I nodded. "I believe so. Might have bruised a few things, but I'll be fine."

He hummed as Mai came over to finish bandaging my hand, remembering something. "By the way, why was Kasai-san just here?"

"Oh, yeah!" Mai said. "She offered to help if we needed her and Ubusuna-sensei too. Kasai-san knows a lot more than I about psychics. I was impressed. Apparently, she learned from Ubusuna-sensei, so sensei must know even more."

"I see."

"Hey, you don't really think that Kasai-san is putting curses on people." She asked hesitantly.

"I don't think so. Even if she had PK abilities, she wouldn't be able to influence this many people. Besides, all the victims have been seeing evil spirits."

"How about voodoo dolls?"

"I doubt that too. Voodoo dolls are the ones that you hammer nails into."

"Yeah. You hammer a nail into a certain area and the victim feels pain there."

I frowned. "Couldn't it be something else? Something similar, but with spirits? I thought voodoo dolls were more American. Doesn't Japan use something else?"

Naru's eyes widened and he stood, confusing Mai, though I knew he'd figured it out.

"Lin."

"There's a possibility."

"Why didn't I realize this sooner? This is a zuso. Mai, gather the others here quickly."

"On it."

* * *

"A zuso?!"

"Correct." Naru said calmly. "Someone has been using spells to put curses on other people here. That's what's causing all the psychic phenomena."

"Spells… is that really possible?!" Mai exclaimed, Bou-san right alongside her.

"Are you saying that someone's been hammering nails into voodoo dolls?!"

"Close, but not quite." Naru went on to explain how the caster of the zuso can eventually call upon evil spirits for their curses and how he believed this to be what was occurring in the school, but then came the important question.

"Then, who would do such…"

"That answer is obvious." Masako huffed. "It must be Kasai-san."

"What?!" Mai shouted as Ayako backed up that theory.

"Let me see… Not only would the people here not believe she had psychic power, but they also punished her for it. Also, they're still punishing the teacher who tried to support her and she threatened to kill someone with a spell, right? She's performing zuso to put a curse on others."

"Kasai-san is innocent!" Mai argued.

"How do you know that? Then who else would it be?"

"Ah, I don't really know, but—"

"Ubusuna-sensei."

All eyes went to Yuu as she drank some of her coffee.

"What?"

Yuu raised a brow. "Seriously? You lot are dumber than I thought, if you immediately blame a girl who knows little to nothing about psychic abilities for a curse on this scale."

"Why you—"

Naru held out a hand to shut Ayako up, narrowing his eyes at Yuu.

"Our primary suspect would be Kasai-san. One of the victims, Yoshino-sensei, was the very person who punished her in front of everyone at a morning assembly."

"But Kasai-san didn't do it." Mai argued.

"Can you prove to us that it's not her?" Naru countered, making Mai pause. "If we don't do anything to stop her, there may be someone who would really die from this. Do you understand that? It could have even been Yuu this morning."

Mai pursed her lips, but lifted her head confidently. "Kasai-san is innocent. Definitely!"

"What nonsense." Ayako scoffed.

"Do you know that for sure?"

"Yes, I do."

"Is this your intuition again?"

"Yes, it is!"

Naru looked at her and then shifted his glance to Yuu. "Yuu, what makes you so certain it's not Kasai-san?"

Yuu gave him an annoyed look. "Mai said it already. Kasai-san learned everything she knows from Ubusuna-sensei. That woman taught her to spoon bending trick, has been by her side getting equal treatment, and is manipulative."

He frowned. "How so?"

"Kasai-san bows down to her every word. If Ubusuna-sensei wanted to get away with anything, how hard would it be for her to manipulate Kasai-san into doing things that incriminate her? And her smile gives me the creeps." Yuu grumbled and Naru paused, before finally letting out a sigh.

"Fine. I'll give you two the benefit of the doubt this time."

"Really?!" Mai grinned.

"I don't want to be responsible if anyone dies, do you understand?" He said sternly. "I have to stop the zuso. We'll look for the jusha. I need you guys to try and find the hitogata."

"What now?" Bou-san asked, looking anxious.

"There are only two ways to break the enmi. One is to return the zuso to the jusha, the other is to burn the hitogata that was used for the curse." Naru explained. "The hitogata has to be buried near the jusha. So, if the jusha is somehow associated with this school, it's likely that the hitogata is buried somewhere nearby."

"Do you have any idea how big the school grounds are?!" Bou-san complained. "Do you expect us to search the entire area?!"

"At least the hitogata that'll be shaped like Yuu and I would have been buried in the last few days. For that one, you should be able to see the area that's freshly dug in."

"Give me a break!"

Naru glared at him. "Do you want to do this or would you rather go home?"

Bou-san held up his hands. "Of course I want to do it." He breathed out in surrender and Naru pulled Yuu up from off her chair and headed for the door with Mai on his heels.

"Oi! I _can_ walk, you know!" Yuu complained, pulling her arm from his grip as Mai called out from behind.

"Hey, Naru, what are you doing?!" She called out as Naru went to open a classroom door. "That class is in session! You'll get in trouble—"

"Room's empty, Mai." Yuu muttered as Naru went over to the desk with Lin and tipped it.

"Found it." he said, pulling out a human-shaped piece of wood and handing it over to Lin.

"A hitogata?!" Mai gaped.

"It's well made. It's enmi for sure." Lin confirmed.

"However, this hitogata isn't for anyone in particular. It's for anyone who sits at this desk on a regular basis."

"Right." Naru nodded as he stood. "This desk has caused anyone who sat in it to get involved in an accident. Therefore, people believed that it was the desk and not the person that the curse was on."

Yuu raised her hand. "But if that's true, then what? They didn't have the person's name that they wanted to curse, so they just dropped this off in the desk? So, shouldn't we look into who that first victim had issues with?"

"Don't have the time." Naru replied. "This also leads me to believe that the phenomenon in the track team room was a curse placed on the team as a whole and not on any individual club member."

The group headed there and Naru frowned at the concrete before deciding that the ceiling would be the best bet.

"Oi." Yuu called out though, not looking pleased. "If you need a sniffer dog, you could just ask."

Naru raised a brow. "You can sense the hitogata?"

"To a point. Anything that's cursed gives off that smoke I told you about. The hitogata you picked up earlier was covered in the stuff. And, though this entire clubroom is on the verge of making me cough…" She cleared her throat pointedly. "I _can_ find the highest concentration of the smoke and that's probably where the hitogata is."

"Hm, so you _are_ useful."

Yuu clicked her tongue and tossed a thumb over her shoulder. "That corner, near the floor, _ass_."

Mai sighed, but Naru and Lin headed over and pushed boxes aside as Yuu declared them not the source, until they found a portion of the concrete that was broken. It only took a bit of minor digging to find the hitogata and Naru smirked.

"Good job, Yuu." He thanked her, though she just huffed. "As expected. It's definitely an enmi. A curse placed on the desk and on the track team. The jusha is somewhere near us. Let's return to the base. Mai, please go and find Takahashi-san so we can follow up on the person who first sat at the desk."

"Right."

* * *

I listened idly as Bou-san's fan attempted to answer Naru's questioned about the desk, silently wondering if I was interfering too much in the case. _I've given away a few things already. My suspicion about Ubusuna isn't lost on Naru and with my announcing that it was a curse way early_ and _mentioning the desk bit, there's no doubt he's suspicious, but what have I changed by doing so?_ I frowned, dropping my chin in my hand as I looked out the window where my sparrow friend napped. _Well, I was attacked by that ghost woman too, but… I kind of expected as much. Mai's not the greatest at keeping secrets._ The sparrow ruffled its feathers and sat back down. _Though… I never expected this little guy to help me out._

"What's wrong?" Mai asked the girl, drawing me out of my thoughts.

"Um, well, during the Kasai panic… My classmates and I asked Kasai-san to come to our classroom and show us how she could bend spoons. But right after Maruyama-san told her to stop and insulted her. And not only that, she also complained to Ubusuna-sensei."

"Murayama-san didn't believe in psychic power at all, huh?"

"Ah! By the way. Now that I think about it, the track team didn't really believe in psychic power either. The teacher in charge didn't believe in things like that. That's probably why the entire team was against it too. There were many students in Kasai-san's class who used to belong to the track team and apparently, they were pretty mean to her."

"Thank you for your help." Naru said, sending her off as we started going through paperwork again.

"I knew it! The track team teacher was the one who saw a ghost while driving his car and he ended up getting into a car accident." Mai exclaimed.

"As Takahashi-san said, everyone who didn't believe in Kasai-san were the ones involved in accidents. Based on the information we've gathered, now there's even more reason to believe that Kasai-san may really be the one."

"Wha—Well, how about Ubusuna-sensei? Like Yuu said? I hate to say it, but doesn't she have a reason to hurt them too?"

"Zuso is not something just anyone can accomplish successfully. One has to have the power to succeed."

"Such as psychic powers?"

"Correct. Or someone who's had the proper training."

I frowned. "And how deeply have we looked into _her_ past? For all we know, she has a history of psychic powers too and just hasn't bothered to share them with us."

Naru frowned, considering that. "No, why would she want to place a zuso on you and me?"

 _Because Mai has a big mouth._ I thought, forcing myself to keep my mouth shut as Mai spoke.

"Well, because you're in her way? Because you're here to solve the case? She must've felt she needed to get rid of anyone in her way."

"Then she should have put a curse on each one of us, right?"

"I see…"

Mai hit her fist to her palm. "I know! A zuso is the onmyou-do, isn't it? So, that means an onmyou-ji should be able to break the zuso, right? That's it!"

"Get to your point."

"What I'm saying is, you're an onmyou-ji, aren't you? That means you especially are in her way and—"

"Wait a minute. What did you just call me?"

"Onmyou-ji?"

"What made you think that?"

"You mean, you're not?" Mai questioned awkwardly as I snorted.

"No." Naru answered her.

"But! But you used a hitogata on our last case, and Bou-san said it's something you can only do if you're an onmyou-ji."

"Lin made that hitogata."

"Eh? What? Then Lin-san is… an onmyou-ji?"

"I guess you could say that." Naru said, bringing this back to the case at hand. "She wouldn't have mistaken me for an onmyou-ji. Even if I really was one, I don't think she would have had a way to find out."

"I… told her." Mai muttered in defeat. "I told Kasai-san you're an onmyou-ji."

"Then that means there's even more reason to believe that Kasai-san may be the jusha."

" _Or_ Ubusuna-sensei." I added. "Kasai-san tells her everything. I don't doubt she spilled that fact to her too."

"But… I'm just wondering." Mai started to ask. "Is it possible to perform a zuso unconsciously, without even realizing it?"

"Not a chance. Especially with enmi."

"Then, as I said before, Kasai-san is not the one causing the psychic phenomenon. I know she's not that kind of person."

"Fine then, but I'm only giving you one more chance." Naru gave in, standing. "If we find one more bit of evidence that would lead us to believe that she's the one, then that's it." He paused then, turning to me. "But why did they attack you?"

I shifted my gaze to Mai, who looked away sheepishly. "Mai, what did you do?"

She waved her hands about, cheeks pink. "Nothing! I-I mean… I may have mentioned to Kasai-san that you thought it was a curse."

I groaned heavily. "They found out I was close to the truth, which makes me a threat too."

"Sorry." She murmured and Naru sighed.

"There's no helping it now. I'm going to check up on something. Mai, you and Yuu please go help the others look for hitogatas."

"Rodger."

* * *

Mai clapped her hands free of dirt as Yuu looked around with narrowed eyes in search of the hitogatas.

"No hitogata here either." Mai called out, stretching her back. "I wonder how everyone else is doing."

"Probably wandering in circles." Yuu grumbled, before Mai turned, hearing a soft sobbing. "I'm going to check over here." She said, rounding the corner and Mai went to stop her, but she was already gone.

She turned back to the fence where she heard the crying and was surprised to spot a backpack there.

"Ah, is… is anyone out there? Hey!" She called out, but didn't really get an answer.

 _Maybe I should get Yuu…_ She straightened herself out though and shook her head, making to climb the fence. _No. I think she's a bit mad about my giving away what she thought to Kasai and… I still haven't told her that I told Kasai she can see spirits._ Mai sighed heavily and called out again to the sobbing child, now that she'd made it over the fence.

"Hey. Where are you? Please tell me. Hello? Please stop crying and tell me where you are!"

She heard a soft 'over here' and saw a manhole cover that was opened and quickly headed for it.

"Wha… Why is this here?"

She pulled the cover back more and looked down into the darkness to see a little girl sobbing quietly at the bottom.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt? I'm coming down to help you!"

She got her legs down onto the ladder before flinching when someone called out to her.

"Mai?! What are you doing?!"

"Mai, you idiot!"

Naru and Yuu were on the other side of the fence; Yuu already beginning to climb over to get to her.

"There's a small child in here!"

"A child?"

"Yes! Look over there! You can see her school bag…" Mai looked over, but the bag was gone. "Or not…"

"Mai, it was a ghost!" Yuu called as Naru found a gate and hurried in; Mai slipping.

"I-I'm okay."

"No, you're not! Mai, get out!" Yuu shouted, running for her just as she felt something grab her ankle.

Mai looked down and gasped at the smirking girl spirit who had wrapped herself around Mia's leg.

"No!"

She was yanked and her grip faltered, about ready to send her into the pit, if it weren't for Yuu and Naru; who had both grabbed onto her arm.

"Geeze, you idiot!" Naru grunted out

"N-Na…"

"You're okay. Calm down." Naru said. "Put your foot on the ladder. You can do it, right?"

"No!" Yuu said through grit teeth. "Don't. It'll probably break. I-I think we can pull you up if you give Naru your other hand."

Mai reached up as Naru let her arm go and reached for her other one instead, but just then something yanked on Mai's leg and pulled her down. It took a minute for her to orientate herself, but once she did, she let out a soft groan; rubbing a knot on the back of her head.

"Are you okay?"

She gasped and turned to see Naru sitting there and holding his arm; Yuu beside him holding her head with a groan.

"Huh? You fell too?"

"If you had only let go of our hands, we wouldn't be here right now."

"I-I'm sorry." She apologized before her eyes widened. "Oh my God. Yuu? Are you alright?"

"Huh?" Yuu glared lightly, before seeing that Mai was gesturing to her bandaged wrist that was bent at an angle. "Shit."

"Let me see." Naru muttered, lightly taking it and looking her arm over. "I can snap it back into place, but you need to get it seen by a doctor."

"Do it."

Naru grabbed her fingers and arm. "One, two, _three_."

He yanked and Yuu let out a grunt of pain as she slowly brought the straightened appendage to her chest and cursed under her breath for a solid minute. Mai didn't dare try to stop her either, trying to come up with a way to brighten the mood.

"Ah, hey. Someone will come to help us soon, right?"

"Did you tell anyone you were coming here?"

Mai shook her head.

"Me neither." Naru sighed and Mai attempted to yell, but only got back the cawing of crows.

"Is there anything we can do to get out? What about the ladder?"

"It's old and rusting." Yuu replied. "It probably wouldn't hold our weight. Though you should know better than to just follow a ghost."

Mai looked down as Naru sighed.

"It seems you're being targeted now as well."

* * *

I sighed heavily, tipping my head back against the wall as Mai began to tear up.

"You think crying is going to help?" Naru asked and I kicked his foot with a glare, but Mai wiped her eyes.

"I'm not crying!"

She looked pleased then, only to turn to me and again, I got the feeling she was upset that I was here. _Not my fault I was trying to help her._ I mused, spotting a little ball descending towards me. The sparrow from before fluttered down and landed on my propped-up knee, tipping its head back and forth as it stared at my injured hand. _I think it's staring, anyway. Hard to tell when it has no eyes, but what the hell does it want?_ It turned then and looked at Naru who, I now noticed, had a 500 yen coin lightly tinged in glittering silver smoke.

"You're not telling me your pet is that 500 yen coin…" Mai muttered, before the coin vanished.

"He hid himself because you made fun of him."

"No way! He must be in your hand." Mai argued, but Naru opened up both his hands.

"Where?"

"Huh?!"

Naru pat his pockets. "I wonder where he went?" He pulled the coin from behind his elbow. "Here he is."

"How did you… Hey, let me see that!"

Naru flipped the coin to her. "Here you go."

She went to catch it, but when she opened up her hands, the coin was gone. "Ah… what?"

Naru chuckled.

"Hey! You didn't really throw him!" She accused, but again, Naru opened his hands to show nothing. "What now?"

"It seems like he got scared and hid because you raised your voice."

"I didn't raise my voice!"

Naru shot her an amused smirk. "You just raised your voice again, didn't you?"

I spotted a wisp of glittering silver on Naru's shoulder and reached over, surprised when I pulled out the coin. And I wasn't the only one.

"How did you do that?!" Mai exclaimed and I felt the coin slip into my coat pocket.

"Um, just lucky, I guess." I muttered, searching my pockets and feeling the coin move just out of my reach. "Oh, come on. It's not like I'm shouting."

The sparrow on my knee hopped over and ducked its head into my coat, pulling out the coin with its beak. I quickly took it before they noticed it had floated for a bit on its own and slid the quivering coin back to Naru.

"You're a good magician." Mai murmured, drawing Naru's probing gaze away from me.

"You really thought that was magic?"

"It wasn't?"

" _No, I'm not_." The coin spoke and Mai flinched as Naru questioned it.

"Are you scared of Mai or something?"

" _Yes._ "

"You don't need to be scared of her. Mai's not as intimidating as she seems."

" _Really?_ "

Naru passed her the coin and this time, she actually was able to hold it for a moment, before I felt it shift again; watching the silver smoke as it landed on my shoulder next to the sparrow, who flapped its wings in annoyance at it.

" _Your bird is scary._ "

My eyes widened as it vanished back into Naru's pocket; the silver smoke disappearing, though Naru raised a brow at me.

"Bird?"

Thankfully, Mai hadn't really been listening and cut in before I could attempt to make up an excuse.

"Hey, please show me more magic!"

Naru closed his eyes with a sigh. "I can't really do anything more complicated right now."

"Are you hurt?"

"I just don't have the tools. Don't worry. When everyone gathers and we're not there… I don't know about the other members of the SPR team, but I know at least Lin will find it strange."

"You think so?"

"Don't worry about it, Mai." I muttered. "They'll find us sooner or later. Right, Naru?"

I went to pat his shoulder, but the moment I did, I suddenly felt a little light-headed. I abruptly yanked my hand away and muttered a small apology as I rubbed at my suddenly tired eyes, but Naru grabbed my wrist.

"What did you just do?"

I frowned, blinking away the small clouds in my vision. "W-What? I don't know what you're—"

I stopped, abruptly feeling a chill and looked up as Naru did the same.

"What's wrong?" Mai questioned, looking up as well. "Is someone there?"

Naru shifted to cover Mai as I turned and cradled my wrist with grit teeth.

"Shit."

"Yuu? Naru?"

"Mai, no matter what happens, stay close to me and don't panic." Naru said calmly as the ghostly figure of the woman slowly drifted down from the ceiling. "Don't worry. It won't be any different than it was yesterday. Don't freak out."

"Says you." I grumbled. "She tried to hit me with a van this morning."

Naru shot me a glare for getting Mai a bit more upset.

"Wait, her mouth…"

The woman pulled a sickle from her mouth and Mai sucked in a gasp; shivering behind us as a drop of blood splashed onto the floor.

"You don't need to worry." Naru said, placing a hand on her arm as the woman drifted closer.

Then, my sparrow suddenly swooped at the woman, making her bat at her head with an annoyed screech.

"W-What…"

"God, you stupid thing. You're going to hurt yourself." I murmured under my breath, not seeing Naru's gaze shift to me until the woman looked up and vanished back into the ceiling; the sparrow landing on my shoulder with a huff of pride.

"W-What? Why all of a sudden—"

"Naru?" Lin called from above and Naru stood. "Are you down there?"

"That was quick. We need a rope or a ladder."

"And a flashlight." I called up, making Naru raise a brow as I looked down the way. "There's smoke over in that direction. A lot of it."

* * *

"Wow. Whoever it is, I'm impressed that they actually made this many hitogatas." Bou-san commented as Ayako bandaged a scrape on Mai's hand; looking at the pile of wooden figures that had been found. "I didn't even think to look in that manhole."

"Mai, Yuu…" Naru pointed out some of the wooden figures. "…my hitogata and Yoshin-sensei's were also found in there."

"So? This should stop the power of the zuso, right?" Bou-san questioned.

"Correct. All we need to do now is throw the hitogatas in the river or burn them."

"It won't stop the jusha from making more though." Yuu muttered; her wrist in a splint, but refusing to go to the hospital just yet.

"That's right. We still don't know who it is."

"And just so you know, it's not Kasai-san!" Mai snapped as Ayako moved over towards Naru and Yuu.

"Alright. Yuu, you need to get your wrist set at the hospital and Naru, didn't you get hurt too? Let me look at your injury."

Naru didn't answer and Ayako frowned, seeing he was pale, but it was Yuu who reached out towards him.

"Naru? You alright? You seem a bit…" She placed her hand on his shoulder, before her eyes went cloudy and she suddenly toppled.

"Yuu!"

Naru also sagged a bit, but turned towards the collapsed woman as Lin quickly sprung into action; checking the pulse in her uninjured wrist.

"Please don't move her. Call an ambulance." He turned his gaze to Naru then. "Stay seated. I can see that you're pale, so you're going too."

Naru frowned, but nodded and as soon as the ambulance showed up, the two were taken away. The others didn't wait long before heading over as well, Lin begrudgingly giving them permission and telling them the room number. Upon entering, they spotted Naru in white hospital clothes sitting up beside a scowling Yuu with a cast on her wrist.

"Hey, Naru-chan, Yuu-chan. Are you really going to be hospitalized for a while? How are you two feeling?"

"Fine." Yuu spat out. "Sooner I'm out of here, the better."

The group rolled their eyes as Bou-san gave his report.

"As you instructed, we burnt them and also threw the ashes into a river. Now we just need to find the jusha."

"I think I've figured out who it is." Naru announced.

"Really?"

"I'll meet her in person and take care of it. This case is now closed."

"Aren't you going to tell us who the jusha is?"

"It's not your concern."

"Hey! Hey! Don't you think I have the right to know? I had an official request from my client to work on this case." Bou-san argued with Ayako agreeing.

"Don't all of a sudden start acting as if I'm no longer part of your team either! Give me a break!"

"Naru…"

Naru ignored her. "Except Bou-san and Mai, would everyone please leave the room."

They all begrudgingly left and there was soon a knock on the door.

"I asked them to come, please show them in." Naru informer her and Mai hesitated.

"Ah, sure. And Ubusuna-sensei is also here."

"Ubusuna-sensei?"

Said woman poked her head around the door, holding flowers. "Hi, sorry. Should I not have come?"

Naru didn't object, so they were all let in and seated and Naru began.

"Takahasi-san and Kasai-san. Did you two hear that I may be an onmyou-ji?"

"What's that?" Takahashi questioned, whereas Kasai blinked.

"Yes, I did."

"Kasai-san, did you tell anyone else?"

"Yes. I told Kei-sensei about it. Is there a problem with that?"

"With our current case, Mai has been very helpful with her intuition and Yuu has assisted as well, believing this was a curse from the beginning. Did you hear about that?"

"Yes. I think she mentioned her intuition in passing and she mentioned about Yuu being able to see spirits too."

Yuu clicked her tongue as Mai ducked her head sheepishly; Naru sparing the injured woman a suspicious look, but continuing on.

"Did you mention that to anyone?"

"I told Kei-sensei about it."

"Was I not supposed to know about these things?" The woman asked. "I didn't tell anyone else about them."

Yuu glared at the woman, and Mai placed a hand calmly on her arm.

"I see. I'd also like to confirm something with you. What school did you graduate from?"

Ubusuna blinked. "I graduated from a local university in my hometown."

"If I remember correctly, you're from Fukushima Prefecture, right?"

"That's right."

Mai looked surprised, but Naru didn't look phased.

"You came to Tokyo for the first time after you became a teacher, correct?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"I've got it now. Thank you for your help. I think I can now solve the mystery of the problems happening at your school."

Kasai raised her hand. "Excuse me, what do you mean by 'solve'?"

"This wasn't just random paranormal nonsense." Yuu answered. "This many events taking place in such a short amount of time spread throughout the school? Someone had to put it in place."

Naru nodded. "I figured it out. It was a zuso. More specifically, an enmi, performed by using hitogatas. Which means we just need to get rid of the hitogatas. Then we need to convince the jusha to stop the zuso."

"What's that mean?" Kasai asked, getting defensive. "The reason you called us here is because you're trying to say I'm the jusha?"

Yuu scoffed. "Don't think you're so important."

Kasai jolted, stunned as Naru smirked.

"Kasai-san, you're innocent. The jusha is Ubusuna-sensei."

"What do you mean, Naru? Y-Yuu-san was right?"

All eyes went to Yuu, who waved them off.

"Please. I just didn't eliminate someone before I had proof. Not my fault I thought she was a better contender than Kasai-san."

Naru turned to Ubusuna. "We've burnt all the hitogatas. Sensei, you made those hitogatas, correct?"

"What are you talking about?" She said, playing innocent.

"We gathered all the items for the zuso and burnt them. At least the items that were in the empty lot."

"I'm not sure what you're talking about."

"Oh, give me a _break_." Yuu drawled. "We've got enough evidence stacked against you to charge you with aggravated assault _and_ attempted murder. Do you _really_ want to keep saying it's not you? Hell, I could tell you exactly what you were thinking when you placed that hitogata on the desk. So, _think_ before you say it's not you, because the moment you do, I'll prove it."

Yuu stared back at the woman heatedly and Naru spoke.

"If you have any other zuso items that you used, please let me know and please promise me you'll never do this again."

The woman glanced at him before turning her smile back to Yuu.

"All of the victims didn't believe in Kasai-san's psychic power, which she demonstrated at the morning assembly. I'm sure the jusha's motivation is related to that somehow. Shouldn't you be accusing Kasai-san of being the jusha rather than me?"

"K-Kei-sensei…"

Yuu smirked though, lifting her hand and pointing at her. "Ah, but you've just given yourself away. Nobody here has mentioned a 'jusha's motivation', which is something I _doubt_ you shared with Kasai-san. That, and she knew the person's name who sat at that desk where the first hitogata appeared. You didn't, hence, you cursed the desk itself."

"What nonsense. I could have asked someone what her name was."

Naru stepped in, seeing that Yuu was getting more and more annoyed.

"At that time, many people didn't want to associate themselves with you and Kasai-san. Would you have felt comfortable asking someone what her name was?"

"Then it must have been someone else. We are innocent."

"Are you?" Yuu jumped in again. "First, you said it was Kasai-san, now you're saying it's neither of you? How many times are you going to change your story? And if it _was_ Kasai-san, then why put curses on Naru, Mai and I? She looked _thrilled_ when Mai mentioned it to her, and she only speaks with you."

"I didn't hear about that."

"I-I did. And I did tell you, Kei-sensei…" Kasai breathed out.

Even Naru was getting annoyed.

"As far as I can tell, there's no one else the jusha could be but you, sensei."

"But what reason would I have to want to hurt all those people?"

"'How dare they?'" Yuu said dully, making the group turn to her in surprise. "'I hate you all. I can't stand you. I wasn't cheating. I didn't know what else to do. They deserve this. What good is science now?'"

Ubusuna stood up abruptly, eyes wide. "H-How…"

Yuu turned to her and blinked slowly. "I told you I knew what you were thinking. Did you think I was joking? The moment Naru made me touch that stupid desk, I heard the jusha's motivation, and judging by your reaction, there's no doubt in anyone's mind now that it was you."

"But… why?" Kasai asked and Naru explained.

"A little over twenty years ago, Uri Geller came to Japan. Shortly after that, his followers—the Gellerini—started. They were the children who were inspired after seeing Geller bend spoons, and they began to as well. Some of these children ended up in the spotlight of the paparazzi. Sensei, you were one of these children. Along with the fall of Geller's popularity, psychic bashing had begun in Japan. Most of the Gellerini were accused of cheating and some of them even admitted to using tricks. And some were _forced_. Ubusuna-sensei was one of the children who admitted to using tricks."

"But I… I… I never cheated!" She finally said. "Really, I was able to bend spoons, but sometimes I just couldn't do it. But that one journalist wouldn't let up. So, I got nervous and was worried that if I messed it up people wouldn't believe me. That made me even more nervous, so I tried to use a trick another Gellerini member taught me. And that one time I cheated, I was photographed."

"That's because they pressured you to _catch_ you cheating." Yuu muttered. "You got caught bending your spoon on the chair, just like you taught Kasai-san."

"Unlike Kasai-san, I didn't have anyone that would tell me it was a wrong thing to do. Nobody was there to tell me it was okay to say so when I couldn't do it. No one was ever there for me."

"Doesn't mean you use Kasai-san for your revenge and then throw her under the bus." Yuu snapped.

" _Yuu_." Naru said sharply and she scowled, but went quiet as he spoke. "For you, it was unfortunate that it happened when it did, because at that time, Japan depended on the media to decide the legitimacy of ESP. Japan had no proper ESP research organization. There were no proper tests to determine your psychic ability. It should not have been up to the media to decide. The paparazzi were more interested in creating a sensation, rather than presenting the truth."

"Kei-sensei…"

"I… I just wanted to protect Kasai-san's special ability as much as I could. However, we somehow became the object of school criticism. And even other teachers started attacking us. They criticized Kasai-san's psychic power at various times even prior to that day of the morning assembly. They even criticized me and told me I wasn't being a proper educator."

"That's why you did it?"

"Yes. It was just a prank." She turned to Yuu and smiled. "As you said, I can't stand them."

"This is much more serious than just a prank. Do you understand that enmi is a curse, place on others to violently harm them? Luckily, no one has died yet, but it was only a matter of time. With that desk, it's very likely the next student who sat there could have been dragged by the train and killed. And Yuu herself, was nearly hit by a van just the other morning."

Ubusuna went to speak, but Yuu spoke before she could.

"If you _dare_ say that maybe people will learn, I'll get up right now and bash your face in. You are turning ESP into an ability that people _fear_. You were about two seconds away from someone storming into your office and beating you or Kasai-san for something that happened to them. And using fear to teach high schoolers isn't going to make people realize anything other than you being bat shit crazy!"

"Yuu!"

Mai grabbed Yuu as she swayed a bit and laid her back on the bed as Naru sighed.

"Bou-san, please contact the principal. Let him know she'll be needing a counselor."

"How rude! You're a parapsychologist too and you're going to treat me like a sick person?"

Yuu bristled again as Mai pushed her back, but Naru spoke eerily calm with narrowed eyes aimed at the teacher.

"Sensei, you must be exhausted and you should get rest. For zuso, it takes both physical and emotional energy."

The woman slowly nodded and relaxed. "Okay. You must be right."

* * *

I sat around with the SPR group as we all had some coffee; myself struggling to get used to using my less dominant hand to pick my cup up with. The group had quickly gone from depressed to noisy and I counted down the seconds to when Naru would walk out; getting it just right.

"Mai." He said shortly and Mai plastered on a fake smile.

"How may I help you, boss?"

"I need you and Yuu to participate in a quick experiment."

I groaned, knowing what this was about as he placed a box down before Mai.

"One of the four lights will light up each time on its own. You need to guess which light will light up next and push the button first, okay?"

"What's this all about?" She questioned.

"It's a psy-ability test."

"You mean a psychic ability test?! No way! I get Yuu, but why do _I_ have to do this?! You know I don't have psychic ability…"

That being said, all it took was a glare and she was seated before the box and doing her best with the lights. A thousand button presses later, and Bou-san gave a small applause.

"Oh, how impressive. You missed them all."

"See? Just like I told you!" Mai exclaimed while Naru looked over the paper the box spat out.

"As I expected."

"Huh?"

"Mai has latent sensitivity."

"Sensitive? Mai?" Ayako sputtered. "You mean like 'delicate' and 'emotional'?"

"Sensitive." He corrected, crossing his arms over his stomach. "She has extrasensory perception. ESP. A person with preternatural power." He rattled off.

" _What_?!"

"This explains why she sometimes has good intuition although she's usually dumb. Perhaps her various intuitions during this case weren't just coincidence. Out of 1000 lan, she had scored zero. When you have 1000 chances, you should get a certain amount of correct answers based on probability. The number of correct answers a normal person should get is 25%. That means, if you score above or below 25%, you will be abnormal."

"What then? So, you're saying she has preternatural power?!"

"Basically."

"Then why wasn't she all useful in the past cases?!" Ayako argued.

"I thought Mai's intuition was pretty good." Bou-san answered. "Remember she had that weird dream in the last case at the Morishita residence? You know, when she fell down in the well? I wonder if she was dreaming about the family's past."

"Sounds like post-cognition." John agreed.

"Also, when the gas burner exploded, she saw the silhouette of a child."

I sighed as they proceeded to poke and prod at Mai being a psychic, before she finally snapped.

"Naru, I'm telling everyone." She snarled and Naru looked to me, but I just smirked in amusement. "Who's an animal? Who's abnormal, huh?"

"Well, that was just an example." Naru murmured, seeing now that it wasn't exactly a good thing to be upsetting Mai when she had something to hold against him.

"Then, what about you? Bending a spoon is not abnormal?"

"What did she just say?" Ayako questioned and Mai repeated herself.

"You're saying that breaking a spoon just by touching is not abnormal?"

"What? What do you mean?" Ayako questioned.

"Hey, Naru, what is—"

"Naru!" Lin shouted, startling the group. "Did you really do that?!"

"You promised me that you'd never do that. Mai!" Naru shouted.

"Naru, are you listening?! You are—"

"I understood. No, I meant… I know."

"You don't get it!"

The two argued loudly as the others waited for a break to cut in.

"By the way, I never knew you had such hidden talent. I'd love to check it out some time." Bou-san said as Ayako raised her hand.

"Me too."

Naru glared at Mai. "Mai, I'll remember this."

She stuck her tongue out and Naru picked up a spoon as Lin frowned.

"Naru!"

"I might as well demonstrate, shouldn't I?"

Lin begrudgingly gave in and Naru bent the spoon before tossing it to Ayako, who muttered how impressive it was, but Bou-san had seen the trick.

"Hey, hey, hey, Naru-chan."

"Yes?"

"What are you doing? You can't fool me!"

"What? What's going on?" Mai asked.

"Ah, you guys are so gullible! Naru just bent it with this physical strength! It would have been very obvious that he cheated if you were looking from the side!"

Bou-san went on to show them, but the little gathering wasn't over yet. They'd suddenly remembered I was there and had yet to touch the ESP test box.

"Wait, what about Yuu?"

I shot them a small glare of annoyance. "I'm not going to play with your stupid box. I'm not as gullible as Mai."

"Hey!"

"Alright." Naru agreed, taking a seat and watching me with a serious look. "Then explain a few things for us. You've mentioned the distorted vision on possessed objects and the dark smoke as well. What about actual spirits?"

I pursed my lips, glaring at Mai briefly, before giving in. "Yes, though I don't go making a habit out of it."

I pointedly drummed my fingers on my scarred arm and Naru caught the movement and cleared his throat, changing the topic.

"Right. Then, I have some other questions for you that I believe you would like to have discussed in private."

I bristled, but saw how the others were looking curious and begrudgingly nodded and stood to join him in his office. Once there, he watched me from behind his desk with a small frown.

"You know about my coin trick, I take it? The one I showed Mai."

"It was a small spirit, right?" I muttered. "I thought it was just a PK ability until it came to me and spoke. You were just as surprised as I was."

He hummed, lacing his fingers together in front of his mouth. "It mentioned a bird."

"I've got some undead ghost bird following me around." I grumbled. "I'm not entirely pleased about it, but it's there. It was what held back the ghost lady from before."

"I see…" He glanced at my scarred arm. "And I take it your dealing with spirits has not been… pleasant."

" _You_ deal with them when you're just a kid and can't tell the difference between ghost and non." I bit out, not pleased that Naru was looking down on Yuu like that.

 _Even if it is_ me _now._

"One more thing…" He lowered his hands and looked at me with an expression I was uncertain off. "Can you… pass on your energy to others?"

I frowned, confused. "What? I… I don't know. What do you mean?"

He hesitated, but sighed. "When we were down in the hole, I used up some of my spiritual energy with the coin trick. More than I wished to, because I have difficultly regulating the amount of energy I use. When you touched me, however, I felt some of that energy return. Whereas I assume you felt rather dizzy and ill. The same happened right before you collapsed in the base. You gave me more of your energy because my reserves were low."

 _Damn… So, I'm kind of like Gene to him then? Except, instead of passing power back and forth between us to keep him from losing the excess, he uses me like a battery recharger?_

"I… I didn't realize." I muttered and he nodded.

"I thought so. It was an unconscious action on your part, though I… appreciate it. Unconscious or not, you handing it over as easily as you did at that moment—instead of an earlier time when I didn't need it—shows that a part of you _wanted_ to help."

"Am I… supposed to pass out afterwards?" I asked cautiously. "I don't mind helping you out if you need it, but if it meant hospitalization every time, then…"

"You're probably still new to it." He shrugged, standing. "If you wish, Lin and I could help you strengthen your control on it to prevent further fainting spells."

I raised a brow as I got up as well. "Lin? Help me?"

Naru let out a short scoff of a chuckle. "Believe me, when he finds out what you're capable of doing for me, he might very well just beg for your help."

I raised a brow at that, but quickly sighed when Naru opened the door and the SPR group fell to the floor from keeping their ears pressed to it. _God, these idiots._ I thought, though a small smile slipped onto my face. _What the hell are we going to do with them?_


	4. Chapter 4

"Sorry we're late!" Mai called out as we scrambled into SPR to find Naru looking through some research books.

"She says sorry, but I _did_ text you about my appointment." I grumbled, letting out a yawn as I took off my jacket and waving my cast-less hand at him. "Doc says I've got full function, though avoid heavy lifting and sleep better."

"Typical, Panda." Naru smirked, making my brow twitch in annoyance before he spoke to Mai. "Tea."

"That's how you treat me first thing?" She grumbled under her breath. "Have you ever considered making tea for yourself?"

"Then what am I paying a part-timer for?"

"Filing." I muttered.

"That's what I'm paying _you_ for."

Mai clicked her tongue. "Yes, you're right, boss. By the way, Lin-san… I guess he's stuck in the research room, huh?"

We both glanced at the door, though I had a better idea than Mai as to what he was up to. _I've been dropping by after school for their Spartan training with my energy transfers with Naru, so he's probably working on that seal for me that he mentioned._ Things had been going well on that front, but we'd discovered that my transfer of energy was completely _in_ voluntary. In other words, the moment Naru uses even the slightest bit of energy, I not only home in on it, but I automatically pass along that amount of energy or more in return the moment I make physical contact. So, Lin had thought of making a limiter seal to keep me from giving too much. Problem was, it sounds easier than it is. Making a seal was complicated work, so he'd been shut up in his room the last few days trying to figure it out. _Not to mention the issues he has with the Japanese. I'm glad he and I have come to an understanding as far as communication. He tolerates me because of my use with Naru, and I just deal with him professionally. Other than that, we stay out of each other's way._

I spotted something on the desk where I typically file things and picked up the article on Ryokuryou High School. _And so, things begin. This one's going to be a pain for me._ I sighed heavily, catching Mai's attention.

"Oh, they were in today's newspaper again. The article about Ryokuryou High School." I passed her the paper and she flipped through it. "Um… the headline reads 'Is it mass hysteria? Another strange incident at a high school'. It says here that some students started to panic because a dog bit them during class. The teacher claimed that he didn't see a dog, but the students indeed had injuries." She glanced at Naru. "Why did you turn down this request? You should have helped them."

"I try to avoid cases that may potentially attract mass media." He answered and I hummed, agreeing with him completely.

Mai on the other hand…

"Eh? Why? This could help us become famous! Then SPR would have many more clients."

"I doubt he does this for the popularity." I muttered, before the door opened.

"Hello?"

Mai whipped around, plastering on a pleasant smile. "How can we help you?"

"Yes, uh… I'm the president of the Ryokuryou High School student council. My name is Osamu Yasuhara." The young man said and I nearly hummed in approval.

 _Ah, my favorite. Looks better in real life too. Can't wait to see some of his sarcasm first hand._ Mai waved him to a seat and I lifted a mug.

"Coffee?"

He smiled a little, hesitantly. "Ah, no thanks." He then pulled out a clipboard from his bag and handed it to Naru. "This is a petition from the students. When I heard that you rejected our principal's request, I gathered signatures from the students with the hopes that you'd reconsider. Won't you please help us?"

I passed him a mug of coffee anyway, unable to resist wanting to help him, and he accepted it with a small smile of thanks before his expression fell.

"Our school is in bad shape at the moment. At first it was just students telling each other ghost stories, but now strange things are really happening every day. All of us are scared and concerned about what could happen next."

Naru sighed. "To be honest, I'm interested in working on this case, however, I'd rather avoid attention from the media."

"I can understand that!" He said passionately. "We're bombarded by journalists coming to our school every day, but that's why we want this case resolved as soon as possible. Please, help us!"

He bowed lowly and I was surprised to find Naru's eyes land on me.

"Yuu, what do you think?"

All eyes went to me and I nearly choked on my coffee.

"M-Me? Why are you asking me?"

"I'm not jumping in without a second opinion." He replied, gesturing to Yasuhara. "And you've been watching him strangely since he first showed up."

I winced, not really wanting to admit that I had been staring. Not just because he was my favorite character in the series, but also because of the smoke that clung to his uniform.

"Well… he's got smoke on him."

Yasuhara sniffed at his clothes and I flushed in embarrassment.

"Ah, no. Sorry. Not that kind of smoke. I'm sort of…"

"She has the ability to see certain aspects of the spiritual realm." Naru explained to him. "Seeing smoke means that the object or person in question has been in contact with something spiritual lately."

His eyes widened as he looked at me. "Then, there really _are_ ghosts? And you're a sort of psychic medium?"

I waved a hand in front of my face. "No, no, no. I'm hardly a psychic. I just… see things, is all."

Naru cleared his throat. "Anyway, Yuu? Your opinion?"

I sighed. "Still don't get why you're asking me, but I say we should check it out. The school can deal with the media nonsense and… I don't like the look of that smoke."

His eyes narrowed, but he nodded. "Mai, call Ryokuryou High School. Tell them we accept their request."

Yasuhara thanked us as Mai got on the phone and let them know, before calling up Bou-san (the only one she was able to reach) and the others. Naru though, continued to stare at me.

"What was strange about the smoke?"

I wrinkled my nose. "It's color. When people use psychic abilities, they give off a smoke too. Yours is grey, Kuroda's was violet, Kasai had a sort of light blue color, but spirits… _malicious_ spirits and even malicious actions… They've typically got black smoke. Yasuhara-san was covered in it. Whatever's going on at that school is bad."

"I see. We best stay alert then, when we get there. You especially." He said and I gave a lazy salute as he went to get Lin to get the car ready.

"Aye aye, boss."

* * *

Yuu coughed heavily almost immediately after they entered the school, waving a hand in front of her face and gaining the attention of Naru, Mai, and Bou-san.

"You alright there?" Bou-san asked and she nodded, though Mai was concerned.

"Fine." She croaked out, clearing her throat a bit. "It's tolerable, but there's a thin layer of smoke practically coating the school."

Naru hummed curiously as they went to ask the clerk where the principal's office was. He was more than a bit rude—something which got Bou-san and Mai talking—but then again, the principal was just as bad.

"Anyway, use your expertise to stop this melodramatic nonsense! Really! How ridiculous is this for students to believe in ghosts? Imagine what it's like having to pay to take care of such nonsense. I can imagine what our board of directors will have to say about this!"

Mai bristled angrily, but it was Yuu who spoke up.

"You shouldn't talk like that in front of your mother."

"Excuse me?!" He exclaimed, getting red in the face, but Yuu remained calm.

"She's hovering behind you." She said idly, pointing in a vague direction over his shoulder. "She was a strict one, wasn't she? She's complaining about your posture and says you should keep your elbows off the table. Ah, your hand doesn't hurt, does it? She's got a rather wicked looking ruler."

The man paled abruptly and yanked his hands off his desk as he turned to the man beside him. "M-Matsuyama-sensei, take them to the meeting room."

"Sure." The man grumbled, shooting the group a glare as they walked down the hall. "Hey, you. You own this company, huh? How old are you?" He demanded from Naru.

"I'm seventeen."

"Why aren't you in school?"

"I'll leave that up to your imagination." He answered dully, making the man smirk.

"The occult or not, I don't know. But young people these days are always looking for one form of escape or another. And there's always someone willing to take advantage of them. It's a dirty world, don't you think?"

Bou-san had to grab Mai to prevent her from attempting to bash the man's head in as they entered the meeting room to find Yasuhara.

"I've been waiting for you guys."

"Yasuhara-san! Why aren't you in class?" The teacher snapped and he smiled innocently.

"Seniors are already on shorter class schedules."

"Do you still find enough time to study for your university entrance exam?"

"Don't worry." He smiled at the teacher who scoffed and took a seat.

Yuu raised a brow, but didn't comment as Bou-san tried to get things on a roll.

"Okay, so this will be our base for the research. What do we do first?"

"Well, we need to interview students involved with each incident." Naru declared. "Mai, would you go find them now?"

"How can I do that?! I don't even know my way around yet!"

"Ah, I can do it for you." Yasuhara offered.

"That would be faster, thank you."

The teacher scoffed again. "Please hurry up. I'm very busy."

"Sensei, please feel free to leave." Naru told him, making the man frown.

"I can't do that. It's my job to watch students' behavior."

Naru ignored the complaint. "As long as we're involved with this case, the students are also our clients. It's our policy to protect our clients' privacy."

"It's not necessary for kids to have privacy!"

Naru resisted a sigh of exasperation. "No matter how old they are, clients are clients. Please leave."

"Will you be doing something you'd rather I didn't see? Since they're the ones who hired psychic to come to our school, I want to hear what they have to say."

"Then you should go to the principal's office."

He seemed confused for a moment, before Bou-san chuckled.

"That's right. Your principal is the one who hired us."

Thoroughly embarrassed, the man stood and headed for the door. "Fine then! If anything happens, I'll blame it on the principal!"

Once he left, Mai took that chance to let out some steam.

"You're an idiot, baldy! Instead of worrying about your students' behavior, you should worry about your own behavior first! This is what they call 'the loud barking of a defeated dog'!"

"It's 'howling', not 'loud barking', Mai." Bou-san sighed, silencing her, though Yasuhara chuckled.

"Taniyama-san is funny."

Yuu cracked a grin as Mai rounded on her.

"That's right! How did you know all those things about the principal?! Did you really see his parent's ghosts?"

Yuu snorted. "Please. I just guessed based on his personalities. Someone who claims so loudly that they don't believe in ghosts would only be startled if someone who might see them, says they can see someone they fear right behind them. I figured he was more of a mama's boy than anything and one with high standards for him since he became a principal."

Bou-san though, glanced at Naru. "Although I was really looking forward to hearing Naru's comments."

"I don't have time for jerks." Naru said blandly, making the monk shiver. "Let's see, Yasuhara-san, as soon as class is over, please have the students come here—"

He was abruptly cut off as Yuu whipped her head towards the door and screams rang out from down the hall. She was the first one out with Bou-san behind her demanding what happened. He hurried to the two girls on the floor in front of a classroom, kneeling down.

"What's the matter?"

"T-The dog… It's that dog."

Naru turned and looked at the door that Yuu stood in front of, noticing her clenched jaw and quivering fist.

"Wait, it's dangerous!" Mai tried to stop them, but Yuu pushed past whatever was holding her back and opened the door with the two coming in beside her. A snarling black dog stood in the center of the room, standing at the height of a wolf, before it launched itself at the trio.

"Naru, Yuu! Get back into the hall!" Bou-san demanded and Naru made it, but Yuu couldn't get back in time as the beast jumped at her.

"No!" Yuu called out, as a small blur rushed between her and the creature, before the beast wailed and disappeared.

More screams rang out as more students came over to see the commotion, and Yasuhara offered to carry the one injured student to the infirmary with Mai. Naru though, turned to Yuu and placed a hand on the woman's shoulder as she knelt on the ground.

"Yuu, everything alright?"

"…Yeah. Sorry. I'm fine." She said, not sounding very convincing to Naru, but he didn't press the issue, missing the fact that Yuu seemed to be holding something in her cupped hands.

* * *

I stared at the ghost bird as it laid in a small box I'd found and stuffed with a handkerchief. _You stupid thing._ I thought halfheartedly as I reached in and brushed a finger over its head, earning a small coo from the injured creature. _This is why I keep telling you to stay away. What made you think you could have stopped that thing? God, now look at you._ _I can't even do anything to help you…_ I sighed heavily, looking down at my left arm and flexing my fingers. It had been over an hour since we'd dealt with the ghost dog and, despite my bird friend trying to stop it, the beast had passed through my arm and I'd yet to regain feeling in it. Not that it mattered much at the moment. We were simply listening and recording what the students had experienced from ghost children, noises in the music room, ghost men in the incinerator, and an unknown figure in the nurse's office. Then Sakauchi was mentioned and things became more curious.

"A death note?"

"Yes." The student nodded cautiously as I tuned back into the conversation. "It said, 'I'm not a dog'."

I winced as my numb arm suddenly flared up with pain, burning intensely as my lip lifted into a snarl.

" _I_ _ **a**_ _m_ _ **n**_ _o_ _ **t**_ _a_ _ **d**_ _o_ _ **g**_ _. D_ _ **o**_ _n'_ _ **t**_ _t_ _ **r**_ _e_ _ **a**_ _t_ _ **m**_ _e_ _ **l**_ _i_ _ **k**_ _e_ _ **I**_ _a_ _ **m**_ _. Y_ _ **o**_ _u_ _ **c**_ _a_ _ **n**_ _'t_ _ **c**_ _o_ _ **n**_ _t_ _ **r**_ _o_ _ **l**_ _m_ _ **e**_ _. W_ _ **h**_ _y_ _ **s**_ _h_ _ **o**_ _u_ _ **l**_ _d_ _ **I**_ _l_ _ **i**_ _s_ _ **t**_ _e_ _ **n**_ _t_ _ **o**_ _y_ _ **o**_ _u?_ _ **Y**_ _o_ _ **u**_ _a_ _ **r**_ _e_ _ **t**_ _r_ _ **a**_ _s_ _ **h**_ _. W_ _ **o**_ _r_ _ **s**_ _e_ _ **t**_ _h_ _ **a**_ _n_ _ **t**_ _r_ _ **a**_ _s_ _ **h**_ _. I'_ _ **l**_ _l_ _ **m**_ _a_ _ **k**_ _e_ _ **y**_ _o_ _ **u**_ _p_ _ **a**_ _y._ _ **Y**_ _o_ _ **u**_ _'l_ _ **l**_ _a_ _ **l**_ _l_ _ **p**_ _a_ _ **y**_ _!_ "

A hand touched my shoulder and I lifted my head with a growl, before blinking at the surprised look on Mai's face.

"Y-Yuu?"

My body relaxed and I suddenly felt exhausted as fear and confusion overwhelmed me. I looked down at my quivering, numb hand as I muttered an apology to the startled Mai.

"S-Sorry. I was… thinking."

"Oh… Um, I was just going to ask if you wanted more coffee."

I nodded, passing her the cup with my good hand and trying to calm down after what had just happened. _Was I… Was I possessed? That's what it felt like for a minute. That sentence, Sakauchi's suicide note… Was that the trigger?_ I forced myself to shake the feeling off, hoping it was a one-time thing as Yasuhara knocked on the door with the next group of students; which included himself. I listened silently, stiff in preparation for another possible trigger, but there was none and I relaxed as Mai brought me the coffee I'd asked for. I was just glad I hadn't been noticed until Naru stood.

"May I inspect the classroom now?"

"Ah, sure."

"Yuu, you're coming too." Naru commanded, eyeing me suspiciously as I nodded and got up.

We were brought to classroom 3-1 and Yasuhara gave us a small warning before he opened the door.

"Do you smell it?"

I did and grimaced, not appreciating it, but not too overwhelmed. Mai and Bou-san were having a harder time though, plugging their noses as they attempted to describe the horrible smell. Naru and I wandered the room though, seemingly unbothered.

"There aren't any areas of the room that smell stronger than others." Naru commented and Yasuhara nodded as Mai and Bou-san rushed to a window.

"Exactly. We've looked for the source of the smell for a while, but the entire classroom smells."

"It doesn't even make a difference if you open the window." Mai nearly sobbed as her and Bou-san hung their heads outside.

I snorted at them, before Naru called me over.

"Yuu, come look over here."

I did, heading to the desk he was standing by and grimacing. "The whole room is covered in fog, but that desk is worse. The hell did you guys do?"

Yasuhara blinked as I waved a hand in front of my face to no avail. The smoke was beginning to bother me and I knew I would have to get out of the room soon.

"Did you do anything abnormal here?" Naru asked more specifically.

"Something abnormal?"

"For example, summoning a spirit?"

His eyes widened as the two girls behind him muttered.

"Summoning?"

"Perhaps he's talking about Orikiri-sama?"

"Silly! That's different! Because that was—"

"Orikiri-sama?" Mai cut in as Bou-san frowned.

"What is that?"

Yasuhara explained. "Lately, or actually since the second semester, it's become popular. Orikiri-sama, Gongen-sama, it basically is—"

One of the girls pulled out a paper. "I have it right here! We haven't used this one yet. Look, this is it. It's very popular at school right now."

"Huh, this…"

Bou-san's eyes went wide. "This is Kokkuri-san!"

"Eh?" The girls gaped. "That's not right! Doesn't Kokkuri-san summon a fox spirit? Orikiri-sama summons gods and it can guide us in relationships! Gongen-sama is—Oh, no!"

Bou-san crumpled the paper and went to explain, but I couldn't take it anymore. I excused myself quietly, stepping out of the room and into the hall where I coughed and choked on the slightly cleaner air.

"Ugh, the hell is this?" I groaned, sitting on the ground and tipping my head back as I wheezed. "It's like having asthma."

"Are you alright?"

I flinched at Naru's voice, frowning at him as he looked down at me with a hint of amusement.

"Did the smell finally get to you?"

I scoffed, pushing myself up only to bring a hand to my head at the pain that sliced through it. His amused smirk vanished at that.

"Sorry. It's a headache." I waved him off. "Really. This place is just covered in smoke though and that room was five times worse."

"You're having difficulties breathing." He noticed and I scowled.

"It's like wading through a cloud." I coughed and he sighed.

"It's almost time for a break anyway. Go get some food for us and we'll finish up with the interviews. That will give you time to get some proper air."

"Alright." I said, relieved but also suspicious.

 _He's being nice. It's weird._

"And try not to take forever, Panda."

I bristled. "I told you to stop calling me that!"

* * *

"We're not staying at a hotel?!"

Yuu groaned as Ayako shouted, her headache not retreating despite her time spent outside. _It was easing up until I came back, but now it's hitting me full force._ She ground her knuckles against her temples as Ayako went on complaining.

"I traveled three freaking hours from Tokyo for you! And now you're telling me I have to stay in the janitor's room with a heater that doesn't work?!"

"Ayako, stop yelling." Mai complained as well, fingers in her ears but Ayako went and got in her face about that before Naru got everyone's attention.

"Anyway, we don't have enough equipment to monitor every area we need to. Tomorrow I'll have Hara-san inspect the school and confirm the existence of the spirits. Once we confirm their existence, Bou-san, Matsuzaki-san and John will start performing exorcisms. Things that we are still uncertain as to what they are, Lin and I will continue to investigate. Mai, you stay at the base and organize all the information that we'll be giving you. Yuu, you'll be with Lin and myself unless I decide otherwise, but if anything happens, let me know right away, Mai."

"Like what?" Mai questioned, oblivious and Bou-san gave her a look.

"You're the woman with the sixth sense, right? Weren't you told the other day that you could potentially have ESP?"

"Ah, that's right. I forgot about that." She laughed awkwardly as Yasuhara cut in.

"Eh? The Taniyama-san also has special psychic skills?"

"Oh, no. It's not like that." Mai tried to wave him off, only to start arguing with Ayako once more, much to Yasuhara's amusement.

"By the way, Yasuhara-san, don't you have to go home?"

He smiled. "I'm fine. I thought I could help you with some of the administrative work. I brought stuff with me so I could spend the night just in case."

Bou-san groaned as Yasuhara laughed, but Naru wanted to make sure he knew what he was getting into.

"Yasuhara-san, I appreciate you offering to stay to help us, but I don't recommend you spending the night. I'd rather not put you in danger."

"Of course. If you think I'll be in your way, let me know. I'll be happy to leave." He offered, but Naru wasn't about to let free help get away.

"Then, I can use some help. Yuu, how are you feeling?"

She shot him an annoyed look as the others turned to her in curiosity; having not known she wasn't feeling well in the first place.

" _Fine_." Yuu bit out. "It's just a headache, as I said."

"Good. Then you can help Mai and Yasuhara-san set up equipment in some of the rooms." He smiled, sickly sweet and she glared in return as Yasuhara chuckled.

Once on their way, Yasuhara carried some of the equipment while Yuu carried the rest and helped Mai set it up. He was a bit dazed at what they were doing and some of the equipment, but Mai was ready to explain.

"With this equipment, we can detect any strange noises."

"Huh, so this is the kind of equipment psychic use now, huh?"

Mai chuckled. "I think we're unique. Besides, Naru is not a psychic. He refers to himself as a 'ghost hunter'."

"Ah, I've heard of that."

"Really? People usually don't know what that is."

"Yeah. Sakauchi… the freshman who committed suicide. At the beginning of his freshman year when he was asked what his future plans were, he wrote 'ghost hunter'. But he may have just been kidding."

"He wasn't."

The two turned to Yuu, but she said nothing more as she finished plugging in some things on the equipment, looking a little dazed.

"What do you mean?" Yasuhara asked and Yuu whipped around to stare at a spot just past his shoulder, but nothing was there. "What?"

Yuu finally looked to him, gaze a bit clearer as she blinked. "Hm? Oh, it was… it was nothing."

Mai frowned, having felt as if she was being watched from the very same corner, but didn't say anything as Yuu stood and looked at her hand for a moment.

"So!" Yasuhara chirped. "What do we do next, chief?"

Mai stood as well and looked through her list. "Let's see. The gymnasium where you hear a cat's voice."

"Then, let's do it and get it over with. A school at night's a spooky place you know? I'm such a chicken when it comes to scary things." Yasuhara grinned away and Yuu rolled her eyes and they started down the hall.

"By the way, why are you calling me 'chief'?" Mai asked.

"Because in this situation, I feel like I'm your apprentice. Are you comfortable with 'chief'? Then how about 'boss'?"

"That's not what I meant!"

"Ah, but then in that case, Shibuya-san would be the 'big bad boss'."

Mai laughed loudly. "Stop! That's too close to the truth!"

"What? Do you always have to be serious?" Yasuhara teased, missing Yuu lagging behind as she looked at something over her shoulder.

"Then, before our big boss gets mad at us, let's finish this up."

"Right."

Suddenly, Mai looked around, confused. _Oops, where am I? Wasn't I setting up equipment with Yasuhara-san and Yuu?_ She spotted a student leaning on a railing then and started to head over. _All the students should've gone home by now._ As she moved closer, she could hear the boy laughing as he stared out at the school building across the street. _The school building over there… I wonder what's so funny about it?_ Then, she realized that the building was _swarming_ with will-o'-the-wisps.

"Hey… Hey, do you even know what those things are?" She asked the student who was laughing about it.

"Of course, I do. That's why they're funny."

"Funny?"

He turned to her then and she gasped, stunned by the smirking face of the boy who was beside her.

"They are very funny. I think nothing could be funnier." He said.

 _This student… who is he… The student who committed suicide?_

"Ah… are you… perhaps…"

A low growl rumbled then from her left and Mai quickly turned to see Yuu, doubled over nearby.

"Ah, Yuu!"

"Stay back!" Yuu shouted, teeth bared and an animalistic snarl on her face that shocked Mai and froze her where she was.

It reminded her of something and when a dark violet smoke seemed to cover Yuu, Mai realized what it was as the smoke morphed into a large dog the size of a small car.

"Y-Yuu… Yuu?" Mai called out hesitantly, seeing the vague form of her friend clasping at her head inside the dog. "Yuu, stop it… Stop it, you're scaring me."

"I-I… I am not a dog. I am not a dog." Yuu growled. "I am _not_ a dog!"

Then, as abruptly as the dream started, Mai was jolted awake; panting in the dark.

* * *

"You don't see any spirits here?!"

I cringed at the shout, headache a million times worse with the lack of sleep I'd gotten. _That nightmare was too real. That damn dog… God, what am I going to do?_ I had no idea how to go about handling something like this and as much as my mind said to ask Naru for help, I felt that I needed to try and figure something out on my own. _Doesn't he have enough to deal with?... But how dangerous could this get? Not just for me, but for Mai, for the others?_

"It's not that I don't see any spirits at all." Masako explained to the stunned group, having arrived this morning to assist. "I do feel their presence."

"But Masako is the only one of us with the ability to see spirits, right? Yuu can, but…"

I glanced at the group who turned to me and I sighed. "There's too many here for me to get a clear reading on anything, and they're either hiding or too weak at the moment to catch my attention."

"So, that means…"

"We're in trouble." Bou-san sighed as well as John chuckled awkwardly.

"Ah, well, maybe they're not at their best right now?"

Masako huffed, ignoring this, but I knew it was correct in my case. I glanced at the little sparrow snoozing in my shirt pocket, still worn out from before. _He's been sleeping the whole time. That issue with the dog must have taken a lot out of him, so I probably won't get any more of his help in this._ I flexed my fingers, displeased that they were still rather numb despite a full day having passed.

"But you both feel that they exist here." Naru concluded and Masako nodded.

"Yes. I know that there are many spirits and I know where they are, but I don't know what types of spirits are here. Usually I can see spirits more clearly, but it's a similar feeling to when you're watching tv with bad reception, if you know what I mean." She explained. "I've never been good at communicating with spirits that float around. I'm better with spirits that have strong grudges to specific location or people."

"Well, since these spirits were summoned by Kokkuri-san, they may not hold any particular grudges." Bou-san huffed. "You're letting us down again, Masako."

"Last time was a special case and in this case, it's not like I can't see or feel any spirits!" She argued as Ayako joined in.

"But we still can't depend on you regardless, right?"

"You have no right to tell me that, Matsuzaki-san." Masako quipped back and the two began arguing as I groaned and got up; yawning and grabbing my third cup of coffee.

"You two didn't sleep well last night?" Yasuhara asked as I sat down again and Mai waved her hand.

"Eh? Oh, no. It's not that." She laughed off, but Yasuhara turned to me and I shrugged.

"I have a hard time sleeping, especially on cases." I admitted to him, before Masako spoke up again clearly.

"But… there's only one spirit that I feel very strongly."

"What type of spirit is that?" Naru asked, locking eyes with me for a moment before looking back at her.

"The spirit of a boy. He's about the same age as me. That means he's about sixteen years old. Yes, I can see his spirit clearly. I feel strong feelings from his spirit. He must have experienced hardships at school. His spirit is trapped here. Even though his spirit is not right here, I feel it very strongly. I think he committed suicide and I believe it was fairly recently."

A chill went down my spine and my eyes went to my hand, seeing but not feeling it clench tightly into a fist; and not of my own doing.

" _ **I**_ _a_ _ **m**_ _n_ _ **o**_ _t_ _ **a**_ _d_ _ **o**_ _g._ _ **W**_ _h_ _ **a**_ _t_ _ **d**_ _o_ _ **y**_ _o_ _ **u**_ _k_ _ **n**_ _o_ _ **w**_ _a_ _ **b**_ _o_ _ **u**_ _t_ _ **m**_ _e_ _ **?**_ _"_

A stack of paper hit the table, making my head snap up and eyes refocus as the fog faded from my clouded mind.

"I wonder if he really held a grudge against this school?" Naru mused, having not noticed my dazed state as he turned to Lin. "Lin, have we learned anything from last night?"

Lin removed his headphones. "Several rooms had unusual temperatures: 3-1, 2-4, and a language room. I didn't see anything unusual on the video but some noises were recorded in three different locations too: the art prep room, 2-4, and the storeroom for the gym."

"I see. The spirits are already showing some reactions on the first day." Naru said, tapping the table and drawing my attention to that; my hunched shoulders unconsciously relaxing. "Let's get to work. Hara-san, please walk around the building and locate the spirits. Matsuzaki-san accompany Hara-san and perform exorcisms whenever possible. Mai will stay at the base so please keep her informed with what's going on. I recommend not underestimating these spirits. Please be careful."

"Gotcha." Ayako hummed.

"Monk-san and John-san, please perform exorcisms at the five locations Lin just mentioned. When you've finished that, please go to the places that Hara-san will find."

"Sure."

"No problem." They answered.

"Lin and I will continue to investigate the locations that are unusual. Yasuhara-san, would you mind helping us with that?"

"Not at all."

"Yuu, you will… Yuu? Yuu!"

I flinched, having not heard him calling my name and earning a suspicious look from him as he frowned.

"You will be with Mai here. Try to let us know if you feel anything off, _before_ you go dealing with it yourself."

"Right." I murmured and his eyes stayed on me for a second longer before he looked to Mai.

"Mai?"

"Yes?"

"Don't fall asleep."

She groaned as Bou-san and John chuckled, but soon everyone left and it was just her and myself sitting at a desk waiting for reports. Mai yawned after perhaps twenty minutes, resting her head on the table, before jolting upright only to wobble. She then harshly slapped her cheeks and I raised a brow while she grimaced in pain.

"Just sleep, Mai." I grumbled, lightly stroking the sparrow who was resting back in the little box I had. "I'll keep an eye on things."

"But Naru will—"

"He'll be pleased when you find out something useful in one of your dreams, so just don't worry about it. I'll pick up the slack."

She hesitated still. "Are you sure? You look like you didn't sleep well either."

"I didn't, but I've dealt with sleepless nights before, so it's fine."

"Well, if you're sure…"

I hummed and she slowly rested her head on the desk, still eyeing me with half-lidded eyes.

"I'm just worried, Yuu… I had… I had a dream last night. You were there, but… It was strange… I thought… I thought I saw… a dog."

She drifted off and I eyed her silently, knowing that if she'd dreamt the same thing, then I really was in trouble. _Her dreams are real and with me dreaming the same thing… I might really be possessed. I need to talk to Naru, before this gets any worse._

* * *

"Oh? I see you're all alone with your boyfriend, huh?" Bou-san hummed, spotting the sleeping Yuu nearby, while Mai dropped her head onto the table where she and Yasuhara were seated. "It's good to be young."

"We were talking about something serious!" She hissed, trying to stay quiet for Yuu, and Yasuhara chuckled.

"Oh, stop teasing us, Takigawa-san."

"Don't be shy, don't be shy." The man chimed in return.

"Please be more considerate. We were about to have a good time."

Poor John accidentally walked into the whiteboard with those words as Bou-san tried to get Yasuhara to understand subtlety.

"Okay, son. Let's have a little talk. I understand how you feel, but first you have to think about where you are and what's going on around you. You know, this type of thing needs the appropriate mood and—"

"Oh, I get it. I'll keep that in mind next time."

Bou-san blinked. "By chance, do you like Mai?"

"Yes, I do." He stated bluntly, making said subject flush red as Yasuhara went on. "But I also like Shibuya-san. He's beautiful, but, I like you even more." He hummed, smoothly taking Bou-san's hands in his.

Pale, the older man fidgeted. "Young man…"

"Yes?"

"You're teasing me, aren't you?"

"Of course, I am." Yasuhara smiled cheerfully, sending the monk into a depressed state as Yuu snorted; having woken up midway through the noisy chatter.

"I take it, you lot aren't getting anywhere with your little exorcisms if you're back here being teased by kids half your age."

Bou-san groaned loudly as John nodded.

"We've been preforming exorcisms based on Hara-san's guidance, but it hasn't been very effective."

"I see." Mai sighed, looking to Bou-san. "Hey, do you think I could perform an exorcism?"

"Why all of a sudden?" He questioned.

"I just thought I could try to be a little more useful."

"It'll be over for us the day we have to resort to you performing an exorcism." He sighed, making her bristle.

"What did you just say?!"

"Still." Yuu piped up. "It could be potentially useful if you gave her a spell or something that she could use to protect herself. With all the trouble she walks into, it would be nice."

"Yuu…" Mai grumbled, but Bou-san agreed and began to teach her one of his tricks as Yasuhara passed out the coffee to help wake up Yuu and the others.

They proceeded to discuss a few things that were on their mind then, before Bou-san looked to the younger people of the group.

"By the way, Mai, do you feel anything?"

"Eh?!"

"Hey now, why do you act so—"

"Ah, Taniyama-san, remember what you told me?" Yasuhara cut in. "The next fire may be in the radio studio."

"Is that true?!" Both Bou-san and John demanded to know as Mai leaned back awkwardly at the sudden pressure.

 _Note to self, don't tell Yasuhara anything if I don't want it to be brought up later._ She thought, trying to answer the men.

"Well… I fell asleep earlier and had a dream about that…"

"And what else?"

"And that's all. It must be a dream." She said, twiddling her thumbs.

"I see. Okay, Mai! You're a good girl, now go to sleep." Bou-san commanded, shoving a pillow into her arms.

"What?!"

"Your dream must have meant something! Go to sleep! You need to collect more information!" he commanded as John tried as well.

"Hara-san and Matsuzaki-san are really the ones who went to perform an exorcism in the locker room!"

"It must be a coincidence!"

"No such thing as coincidences." Yuu hummed, sipping her coffee and enjoying the show.

"You've had dreams relating to our research during the last case and the one before." Bou-san tried to convince her.

"I can't just fall asleep all of a sudden!"

"Well, we'll find out one way or another later on tonight." Yasuhara explained calmly, being the voice of reason in the room. "If the fire does happen in the studio, then it would mean that Taniyama-san's dream was right, wouldn't it? And Taniyama-san, if the fire really happens in the studio, be prepared to support them."

"Hey, son. When did you become Mai's manager? That's Yuu's job." Bou-san complained as Yuu scoffed.

"Please. He can have it."

"Yuu!"

The next morning, however, Mai was proven right as a fire broke out in the studio instead of the locker room. Yuu was staring at the damage though, with a frown, rubbing at her arm idly as Naru demanded to know from Mai where she'd seen other will-o'-the-wisps in her dream. She wasn't entirely convinced that they would be where she said they were though, and went off by herself to think over a few things. Upon encountering the frustrating jerk from the school, however, she'd begun to regret not bringing Yuu with her to take him down a peg. Once she'd gathered up the courage to do so herself, though, a scream rang out. Mai ran for it, finding the classroom where it was coming from just as Bou-san and the others showed up as well.

"Hey, Mai! What happened?"

"No idea. I just got here, too." She said as Naru frowned and stepped forward.

"This is the class I sent Yuu to check."

Mai turned to him, scanning the group to find the young woman missing. "Where is she? She's not here. She can't be…"

"Get the door open. Quickly!" Naru ordered and upon opening it, the group stared in shock.

There as a dog, much like before, except it nearly filled the classroom with how big it was; easily fitting a desk in its jaws. Students cowered in the corner as it threw the desk at them, before rounding on the group. Mai's eyes widened though, as it laid eyes on her and she remembered the dream she'd had. _It… It has the same eyes as Yuu… Oh, my God…_

"Y-Yuu?" She breathed out and the dog stiffened, whipping around to look at her.

There, buried in the center of the beast, Mai caught the sight of a dark shadow. A figure that was barely visible in the miasma radiating off the creature before them.

"Oh, my God. Yuu! Naru, Yuu's in there! She's inside that… that _thing_!"

"Mai!" Bou-san shouted, pulling her back as the creature took a step towards her and Naru turned to John.

"John!"

John nodded, reaching into his pocket to pull out a small bottle of holy water, but it wasn't needed as the black dog suddenly vanished; leaving Yuu doubled over in apparent pain.

"What was that spirit?" Masako questioned, in shock. "It seemed almost real."

Naru looked at Yuu for a moment, but with the immediate danger gone, he turned to the teacher.

"Sensei. Matsuyama-sensei." He said, having to get the man's attention since he was dazed by the events as well. "Could you please call an ambulance? Some students have been hurt."

"That… That was the same dog as before?" Bou-san questioned, eyeing Yuu hesitantly.

"I think so." Mai agreed. "But it was much bigger."

"And much stronger too." Naru added, holding an arm out to stop Mai from going to Yuu's aid. "Don't get close to her yet. We need to make sure she's stable first. If she's still possessed, then she could lash out."

"But…" Mai didn't get to finish her thought as she spotted Masako suddenly collapse behind her. "Masako?! What's the ma—"

She herself began to feel dizzy then and blacked out; slipping into yet another dream-like state. _It's just like my vision yesterday._ She thought, seeing a large black blob-like creature grabbing at floating will-o'-the-wisps and devouring them. _Don't! Stop it! This isn't right! You're devouring everyone!_ She spotted one bright light in particular though and brought a hand to her mouth in shock. _How gross! This… can't be… Sakauchi-kun!_ The boy was absorbed into the creature and Mai grimaced, feeling pity for the boy. Then, she saw something else. _Ah! Yuu!_ Yuu stood nearby, but she was too close to the creature. She was fighting, struggling against it as a tendril latched around something dark that was snaking out of her arm. _No! Yuu! Yuu!_ Mai shouted, making to go and help, before someone placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see Naru shaking his head, but that only made her angry. _No! I won't let her get devoured! I won't!_

He just pointed though and Mai turned to see that the black shape being pulled away from Yuu was actually that large black dog. Its mouth was wrapped around Yuu's arm as she fought against it, and the dog would drag her into the blob-like creature if she couldn't get free. Mai tugged anxiously on Naru's grip on her arm, but the young man held her back. _Look_. He commanded and she did, seeing something glowing in Yuu's shirt pocket. Her eyes widened as a small glowing orb flew out of it; expanding into a large bird that attacked and clawed at the black dog. Injured and unable to continue holding on, the dog was forced to release Yuu as the bird disappeared back where it had come from and Yuu fell back away from the devouring spirit.

"Hey… Hey! Are you okay?"

Mai's eyes snapped open and she looked to Bou-san as he looked over her and Masako in concern.

"What happened? All three of you suddenly collapsed."

Mai spotted Naru over by Yuu, feeling a sharp sting in her chest for a split second before brushing it off and turning to a teary-eyed Masako.

"Masako… did you see it too?"

"Yes. Sakauchi-san… He vanished and Yuu was nearly…"

"We'll discuss what happened in the conference room." Naru said then, carrying an unconscious Yuu in his arms. "John, I'll need you to make sure she isn't still possessed."

"Right…" He nodded and they headed off back to the base.

* * *

I woke up, feeling dazed and weighted down, like any movement would take so much more effort than it was worth. _What… What happened?_ I tried to think back; my fogged mind remembering things piece by piece. _I was with… No, Naru sent me to a classroom. I went to ask the teacher if I could sit in to search for paranormal whatever, but he fought me on it and…_ My brows furrowed and I managed to bring a hand to my head. _Oh…Oh, no. The dog. Whatever that idiot teacher said set it off. I remember that, but then… there was anger and fury and something dark. Then, I was doubled over in the classroom. I'm… God, I'm missing pieces. Did I… Was I completely possessed?_ I grunted and pushed myself upright, blankets falling off me from the bed I was in, in the infirmary of the school. It was then, that I noticed my arm.

I could feel it now, for one thing, but it was wrapped in a rosary and bandages that had scrawled writing on it. _They know…_ I realized, staring at the cross dangling from the beads absentmindedly. _They know and this is probably John's work… and Bou-san's, if the writing is any clue, but… what happened? I feel like I did something wrong…_ The door opened then and I turned to see Naru enter; looking rather stern with the dark frown on his face as he closed the door behind him. He pulled over a chair and sat down in it, crossing his arms over his chest and looking down at me.

"Why didn't you say anything?" He asked, making me wince slightly.

 _Damn, I hate being talked to like a child from someone younger than me, but…_ "I thought it was a one-time, minor occurrence." I grumbled. "When it got worse, I planned on telling you, but with the fire and everything else, we were… busy."

His glare seemed to get worse. "Busy? We are _never_ too busy for you to mention something like this." He reached over and grabbed my arm; shaking it. "You were _possessed_ , Yuu! Not just a minor possession either, but a complete, possession by an evil spirit. You hurt people, Yuu. You said nothing and ended up sending a student to the _hospital_."

I stiffened, not having known anything of what happened while I was possessed. "I-I… what?"

His eyes narrowed and he dropped my hand, getting up. "You will stay in this room and rest for the remainder of this case, then you will return home. I'll send you your paycheck in the mail."

"What? Naru… Naru, wait! I'm fired?!" I called out after him, but the door slammed shut and I was left on my own. "But… I-I don't have anything else…"

I sat there in a daze for an unknown amount of time. _What… What do I do now? If he's firing me, then…_ I wasn't sure what to think. I was someone trapped in the body of someone else, in a Japanese anime or manga or whatever, who could see ghosts and interact with them. I didn't know what to do. My mind kept going blank. _I… Do I just go back to school like before?_ It didn't seem right, didn't _feel_ right. I wanted to do more here; with SPR. I'd gotten attached, enjoying the time I spent with them and what we did with spirits and the supernatural. Without it, what was left?

Time passed as I stared blankly at the sheets on my lap, feeling something dark wrap around my chest that made my body heavy and shoulders slump. I almost didn't notice when the group came in with an unconscious Mai, until the door shut and I felt eyes on me. I briefly caught eyes with a frowning Naru, before turning over onto my side and trying to ignore the group. _I'm fired, after all… Nothing else that's going on here now involves me anymore. So, I should distance myself, shouldn't I?_ I heard Ayako chiding Mai the moment she woke up, cringing when I heard my name brought up.

"Why were you wandering the campus alone? We've already had one issue with possession with Yuu, do you want to be next?"

"Well… the video tape…" Mai muttered and Ayako's annoyance shifted to Naru.

"The tape? What do you have to say for yourself, Naru? You knew no one should go out alone!" She huffed. "Tell us what happened."

Mai explained the children spirits she saw in the science lab and how she'd been locked inside before being knocked unconscious by broken bottles of chemical.

"Children's spirits, huh. Masako, are they still around?"

"No." The medium answered. "I think they've gone."

 _They only stick around to cause problems, then they wait until their next chance. It's all because of what happened with Sakauchi. It's a curse._ I mused silently, biting my tongue to stay silent as the group left; leaving Ayako behind with us just in case when Mai asked her to. She must have fallen asleep at some point and I did too, but I didn't have any dreams thanks to the precautions that had been wrapped around my arm. That didn't mean I missed out on her abrupt awakening though.

"Mai? Hey! What are you doing, you idiot?" Ayako complained when Mai immediately toppled over from dizziness.

"Ayako, the first floor! It's in the print shop!" Mai warned her. "John and Yasuhara-san are there too! They're in danger! We've got to warn them!"

"But I can't leave—"

"Go." I said, sitting up myself. "I've got most of my strength back. I can keep an eye on us and get us away, if need be."

Ayako still hesitated, but went on to quickly teaching Mai a counter-spell before rushing out to warn the others. _And now, the fun part._ I thought, glancing up at the ceiling as the lights went out.

"Mai, we need to get out." I declared and she turned to me with worried eyes.

"But… I'm still dizzy. I can't even sit up without—"

I clambered out of bed and headed for hers, keeping my gaze locked on the shadow in the second bed that had appeared. "Move towards me and I'll help support you, but we need to go. _Now_."

She nodded and slid her feet down to the floor, using my shoulder as a crutch while I grimaced. I still ached from the possession, but it was tolerable. I was more focused on the shadow that had sat up in its bed.

"Should I do the counter-spell?" Mai asked hesitantly. "That should help us, right?"

"Don't. You'll just make it angry." I stopped her, knowing that if she tried, the spirit would lash out. "It's devoured some of the others, so I don't think a small counter-spell will do much other than irritate it."

"Devouring... More of your foreknowledge?" She questioned and I shot her a small, annoyed look.

"One would think you'd be more concerned with us getting out of here, instead of how I know certain things."

She chuckled awkwardly, before I suddenly stiffened and whipped back around. The inky black spirit was gone.

"Not good." I murmured, trying to remember what it was that happened next, before the ground suddenly quaked below us.

My eyes widened and I helped—shoved—Mai to the door.

"Go! Get out!"

She stumbled though and we both fell to the ground with groans. I was back up onto my feet first and scowled at the few feet of wall now between us and the door above us. The floor had caved in, only confirming my theory that the spirit was more powerful than before. Mai groaned from the ground and I hastily tried to get her back up onto her feet.

"Mai, we need to get out of here now."

"Right. The door is right…" She turned to find the wall and I pointed above us.

"We sank, Mai. I can give you a boost to at least get you onto the edge. Get the door open and I'll climb up after you."

We both stilled at the sound of scratching though, and I cursed.

"Shit. Mai, we've got to move."

She nodded, sensing that this wasn't just mice skittering about, and placed her foot onto my interlinked hands.

"W-What if it comes this way?"

"Don't." I scolded her, lifting her as best I could to get her up to the small ledge by the door. "Don't think about it. Focus on getting out."

"R-Right."

She grabbed the edge and pulled herself up, reaching for the door, only for it to be pulled open before her.

"Mai?"

Naru stood at the entrance and Mai let out a sigh of relief.

"Naru!"

"The floor… What happened?" He asked and Mai went to answer, but I gave her another shove upwards.

"Later. Just pull her up so I can get up too, before…"

 _Too late._ I grimaced, hearing the cracking of the ceiling as Naru pulled Mai up through the door and reached down for me. His eyes met mine and when he reached down for me, almost desperately, I couldn't believe it.

"Yuu!"

"Y-You idiot!" I shouted, just as the ceiling collapsed and I was knocked to the ground.

* * *

"Yuu…"

 _God, what…_

"Yuu, say something! Are you okay?"

 _Oh, the ceiling fell… but then why was Naru…_

"Yuu!"

My eyes cracked open and I cringed at the pain that went through my head, bringing a hand to it as I tried to push myself upright only to be stuck. I twisted and nearly had a heart-attack at seeing a relieved Naru holding up part of a bookcase that had fallen towards me when the ceiling collapsed.

"N-Naru?" I breathed out, earning a pained, annoyed look before I winced and reached out to try and help him shove the large object aside.

More voices came from just above us and, thanks to Mai, the others helped unbury us and get us to moderate safety. Back at the base, Ayako was quick to look Mai, Naru, and myself over for injuries, but not without complaint.

"Really now. How is it that you always manage to get injured?" Ayako moaned, placing a bandage over a cut on my forehead after having treated Mai and Naru. "The same goes for you two! You three are unbelievable. At least these injuries will heal."

"It's only because the building's ceiling boards are so weak." Naru commented, adjusting his sleeve over a bandage on his wrist. "It's no big deal."

"Shouldn't you go to a hospital and get it checked out?" Bou-san asked as he looked over Mai again.

She waved him off. "I'm fine! I just can't believe the whole ceiling caved in too. Right, Yuu?"

"Hm?" I turned away from the back of Naru's head, which I'd been staring at in frustrated confusion. "Oh, yeah. Suppose so."

 _Why the hell did he come down to shield me from the collapse? I know Mai was supposed to be the one stuck down there, but because it was me, I thought…_ That dark feeling in my chest ached again. _Did I really think he thought less of me than her? Why does that… Why does it bother me so much?_

"This is no joke." Bou-san said seriously. "A spirit would have to have the strength of an army to make a whole ceiling cave in like that."

Even Yasuhara was unnerved by the whole thing.

"So, you're saying that entity has gotten even stronger?"

"Stronger and more brutal."

"It… hatched." Mai spoke up then, gaining everyone's attention. "It's been sleeping until now and once it built up enough strength, it must have hatched. That means, no one…"

"No one can stop it." I finished for her, rubbing at my bandaged hand.

"Did you see something too?" Naru asked, and I hesitated before slowly nodding.

"I… suppose." I muttered, before explaining. "It's a smaller spirit that's been slowly eating the weaker spirits around it to grow more powerful. I don't think we can handle something like this unless we know exactly what we're dealing with." I chose to make a small risk then. "Though, I think I've read about something like this before. I can't remember it… something to do with throwing gold in the streets…"

"Gold?" Bou-san questioned, placing a hand on my head and tipping it to get a look at my sour expression. "Are you sure you're alright? You _did_ hit your head pretty hard."

I swatted his hand off me. "So, did you, when you were a child. It's why you have no brain cells left."

He smiled, twitching as he grabbed my head once more in annoyance. "I-Is that so? My, how cheeky you've gotten, Yuu. Don't you know how to respect your elders?"

 _Says someone who's younger than me._

"Oh, sorry, old man. Don't know how I forgot you were an elder with all those grey hairs."

"Why you—"

Naru cleared his throat before our petty argument could go any further. "I suggest we all get some rest and decide what we're going to do after a meeting with the principal tomorrow morning. For now, no one is to go anywhere by themselves and each group is required to have at least one person able to perform counter-spells _professionally_."

Mai pouted at that, but I expected as much and went to join her, Ayako and Masako in the women's resting area, only for him to stop me.

"Yuu, you're staying with Lin and I. No more than three people per group."

I didn't want to, giving Mai a desperate look to help me, but she simply shrugged before leaving with the others. Seeing no other choice, I sighed and took a seat in one of the empty metal chairs; not really tired and knowing that even if I was, I wouldn't be able to sleep. So, instead, I pulled out my little bird friend to check up on him; rubbing his tiny head with my finger as I rested my own head on the table.

"What are you doing?"

I jolted, having forgotten that Naru was there and couldn't exactly _see_ what I was doing. _Or can he? I… I'm not sure. He's seen other ghosts, but those ones_ wanted _to be seen, so maybe he can't? He wouldn't be asking me if he could, right?_

"Um… p-petting the ghost bird…"

He stared at me for a while, making my face flush in embarrassment.

"W-What?"

He slowly closed his notebook and headed over, making me fidget awkwardly as he looked between me and where my hand was by the bird.

"You're not going to sleep?" He questioned then, making me bristle.

"I'm… not tired."

He raised a brow. "You're going to look even more like a panda, if you don't."

"I'm not a panda, you narcissistic as—"

"Yes, yes." He sighed, cutting off my curse as he sat down beside me. "Didn't your parents teach you to watch your mouth around others?"

I hadn't thought about my parents in a long time, and his question caught me off guard long enough to calm me down and allow that seeping darkness to wrap around my heart further.

"They're dead." I muttered, resting my head back on the table as the little sparrow ghost rolled onto his back for me to pet his stomach. "It's not like they'll get mad at me now."

He stayed silent for a moment before his own finger came into view and scratched at the bird's stomach; making me look up in surprise. _So, he_ can _see it…_

"Why didn't you say anything before?"

My frown returned at his question, knowing he was talking about my possession.

"I _told_ you. I didn't think it was anything big and when it got worse I was going to, but… never got around to it."

"Why?"

"Because we were bus—"

"That's not it, and we both know it." He said sharply, eyes shifting to mine and seeming to pierce through me. "So, stop pretending to be a stubborn-headed idiot."

"What does it matter?" I grumbled, looking away. "I'm fired anyway."

" _Yuu_." He persisted and I groaned, getting up and moving to the coffee-maker in my frustration.

I watched the dark liquid as I poured it into a mug, feeling as though the very same thing was slowly clawing its way into my chest trying to drown me.

"I was scared, alright?" I finally responded. "I'm still… new to the whole 'dealing with ghosts' thing. I mean, I've dealt with them before—" _Or Yuu has, anyway._ "—but not like this. I'm not like Mai thinks. I don't like confronting them. I'd rather ignore them or hide or run away, but I can't do that with her. I won't let her get hurt."

I shook my head, knowing that I was getting off topic.

"The thing is… I was scared about what had happened, what might end _up_ happening to me. I was going to tell you, but then… then I worried about what would happen with us. It's one thing to chide us for injuries, but something like this?" I lifted my arm, making the cross swing back and forth on the beads wrapped around it. "I didn't want to end up becoming the liability… That's exactly what happened though, so I guess it didn't matter either way, what I did. Someone still got hurt because of me, Mai and the others were still put in danger because of me, and I'm still being fired for what happened. I didn't tell you because I was scared that trying to get me un-possessed would put everyone in danger and that… that you would kick me off the case."

"Why would I—"

"Please." I grumbled, turning around finally as I sipped my coffee. "You don't need a spirit detector or whatever I am, because you already have that in Masako; who also has more experience than me too. I'm not equipped to exorcise anything like John, Bou-san, Ayako and Lin, and I'm not all-knowledgeable about ghosts like you are. Add easily-possessed to my list of quirks, and I'm the _last_ person anyone would want on a ghost-hunting team. The only thing I'm good for is putting up cameras, filing and playing bait."

It was growing, that darkness; getting stronger, feeding off me.

"Yuu?"

My throat felt tight and my vision swam as I took a step back and bumped into the table behind me; Naru standing up.

"Yuu, what—"

"I-I don't…" I shivered as a tear slid down my face. "W-What am I saying? I-I-I don't u-understand. Why…"

The coffee mug slipped from my fingers, shattering on the ground as my eyes slid to the bandaged appendage that quivered and shook out of my control.

"Lin!" I vaguely heard Naru shout over the sound of my own breathing in my ears.

 _W_ _ **h**_ _a_ _ **t**_ _d_ _ **o**_ _e_ _ **s**_ _h_ _ **e**_ _k_ _ **n**_ _o_ _ **w**_ _?_

 _ **H**_ _e_ _ **d**_ _o_ _ **e**_ _s_ _ **n**_ _'t_ _ **u**_ _n_ _ **d**_ _e_ _ **r**_ _s_ _ **t**_ _a_ _ **n**_ _d_ _ **a**_ _n_ _ **y**_ _t_ _ **h**_ _i_ _ **n**_ _g_ _ **a**_ _b_ _ **o**_ _u_ _ **t**_ _m_ _ **e**_ _._

 _H_ _ **e**_ _t_ _ **h**_ _i_ _ **n**_ _k_ _ **s**_ _h_ _ **e**_ _c_ _ **a**_ _n_ _ **j**_ _u_ _ **s**_ _t_ _ **g**_ _e_ _ **t**_ _r_ _ **i**_ _d_ _ **o**_ _f_ _ **m**_ _e_ _ **j**_ _u_ _ **s**_ _t_ _ **l**_ _i_ _ **k**_ _e_ _ **t**_ _h_ _ **a**_ _t_ _ **?**_

 _I_ _ **'l**_ _l_ _ **s**_ _h_ _ **o**_ _w_ _ **h**_ _i_ _ **m**_ _. I_ _ **'l**_ _l_ _ **s**_ _h_ _ **o**_ _w_ _ **a**_ _l_ _ **l**_ _o_ _ **f**_ _t_ _ **h**_ _e_ _ **m**_ _._

 _I_ _ **a**_ _m_ _ **N**_ _O_ _ **T**_ _a_ _ **D**_ _O_ _ **G!**_

 _STOP IT!_

Everything shifted, stopping and twisting all at once. The snarl on my face twitched as the hand fisted around Naru's shirt froze and the low rumbling growl in my throat ceased. Brows furrowed as I struggled mentally, fighting against whatever dark force had managed to keep hold of me until now.

 _Stop it! Look what you're doing! Look who you're hurting!_

 _ **H**_ _e_ _ **h**_ _u_ _ **r**_ _t_ _ **m**_ _e_ _ **f**_ _i_ _ **r**_ _s_ _ **t**_ _!_ _ **H**_ _e_ _ **t**_ _h_ _ **r**_ _e_ _ **w**_ _m_ _ **e**_ _o_ _ **u**_ _t!_ **H** e _ **h**_ _u_ _ **r**_ _t_ **m** e _!_

My fist tightened again, but quivered as Lin stormed in.

"Naru!"

"Wait." He stopped him, trying to speak to me instead. "Yuu, fight it. I know you can. I know you don't want to do this, so fight _back_."

A warbled sound escaped me as I forced my clenched fist to slowly let go. Whatever had me was still fighting though, pounding against my already battered mind and pushing and pulling at my soul in an attempt to devour it or shove me out. I fought back, but I was tired, so tired. _What was the point?_ I wondered. _Aren't I fired? Even if it did take over or even push my soul out, what would it matter? I have nothing here. What difference would my being dead make?_

"No. Don't you give up, Yuu." Naru's voice broke through, making my eyes turn to him as tears fell unnoticed down my face. "Don't let this _thing_ take you. You're stronger than that. I know you are."

"Y-You _**d**_ _o_ _ **n**_ _'t_ k-know me." I got out, voice warping slightly in my struggle to speak.

"Then, you'll have to tell me more." He said calmly, watching me with those dark eyes as if he was seeing through me. "Show me what you're capable of, Yuu. Prove to me that you're worth the effort of having you in SPR."

"B-But you _**g**_ _o_ _ **t**_ _r_ _ **i**_ _d_ _ **o**_ _f_ _ **m**_ _e_."

"You idiot." He sighed heavily, grabbing my shirt and slamming his forehead roughly against mine. "As if I'd actually get rid of you. After all… Mai is useless at filing. You're the only one who does it right."

I blinked owlishly before the back-handed compliment finally registered and I scowled.

"You know, if I wasn't currently wresting with a possession right now, I'd be dumping your precious tea down your pants, you narcissistic asshole."

"Dully noted. Lin?"

There was a high-pitched whistle that was let out before something slammed into my chest. My breath left me in one fell swoop and I toppled forward into an awaiting Naru, as a large dark mass escaped me. I barely registered the black dog that was quickly obliterated by flying white orbs, thanks to my fading vision. I wanted to see what was going on, if I was truly free, but I was so tired and Naru seemed to sense that as he placed a cool hand over my eyes.

"Sleep, Yuu. We'll deal with things in the morning."

"…Fine…"

* * *

I twisted and turned, out of breath as murmurs reached my ears and whatever was around me seemed to tighten. Then, I was awake and sitting up in a flash, something clicking in my mind.

"A spirit kodoku!" I blurted out, drawing the attention of the entire SPR to me.

"What did you say?" Naru questioned as I brought a hand to my forehead in a small attempt to quell my dizziness.

"I-I remember. The gold thing I mentioned before." I lied, having not meant to blurt out what was going on the moment I woke up, but my head was in a bit of a scramble from the possession still and it was a little late to try and take it back.

Naru's eyes widened in understanding as the others—who probably gathered for a meeting—stared in confusion.

"Did you say, 'kodoku'?" Mai asked as I furrowed my brows at the blanket wrapped around me.

 _When did I get to this futon? Hell, since when was there a futon in this room?_

"It's a type of curse." Naru explained, speaking rapidly as he told them about the basics of said curse.

 _Rare curse from China, burying a bunch of bugs in a jar until one's left, and human sacrifices and throwing gold. Yes, yes, yes. I know all of this already, but why can't I remember how I got here?_ A cross dangled from my arm, swinging lightly across my vision and I blinked at it in confusion. Turing to Naru, I poked it with my finger.

"Hey, what's this? Why's it on me?"

He paused from his explanation and furrowed his brows. "You don't remember?"

"Remember what?" I frowned now as well, seeing the group eye one another cautiously. "What happened? What the hell is going on? Why do you all keep looking at me like that?"

Naru sighed. "I'll explain it to you after I finish explaining this, alright?"

I wasn't exactly pleased, but grumbled my consent and got up to get some coffee. I only really focused back on what was being said when Mai began shouting about the students being quote-on-quote "masters" of the curse.

"That's impossible! What can we do? They're not even aware that it exists, right?! It will devour them all, including Yasuhara-san! Right, Naru?"

"And there's nothing we can do." He answered her calmly as I eyed the two. "However… Lin?"

"What is it?" The man asked, pulling off his headphones to listen in.

"It's true that a kodoku is a pretty obscure curse. Even _we_ haven't encountered one before."

"But if this _is_ a kodoku, it would be no different than a regular curse. Defeating it will be easy, though not without unintended side effects." Lin responded. "We have two options for releasing the kodoku: transferring it to someone else or agreeing to care for it."

"Right."

"No way…" Mai breathed out, looking to me, but I pointedly looked away from her probing gaze; that had attracted Naru's gaze as well.

 _Sorry, Mai, but I can't just give away what I know. Everything turns out alright in the end, but I can't even give you reassurance since Naru going behind your back is a big step in the relationship between you two._ Something twisted in my gut at the thought, but I frowned and pushed it aside.

"Yuu."

"Hm?" I hummed, having been distracted once more.

Naru eyed me cautiously, for whatever reason. "I'm going to have to speak with the principal on this matter. I'll explain to you what happened afterwards, though I suggest going for a walk where the air is clearer, for now."

My frown deepened. "Let me guess, go outside because of something that happened that I can't remember?"

"Good, you understand."

"What? No, I—" My argument was cut off by the door closing behind him. "—don't. God, that narcissistic asshole. I was being sarcastic."

Mai knocked the back of my head with her fist, making me glare at her while I rubbed where she hit. "Language." She chided. "And just go do what he said. You've been… grumpy since we got here."

I felt there was more to it than that, if the cross on my arm said anything, but I knew better to argue with Mai and simply left with grumbles under my breath about secret-keeping jerks. The walk was actually nice and I mellowed out quite a bit from when I was in the school. _Maybe this case is just affecting me too much. It was stuffy in there, with all the smoke. Maybe that has something to do with why I can't remember anything._

"Your face will get stuck that way, if you keep it up."

I bristled, facing a smirking Naru with a scowl. "Says you. You frown all the time unless you're looking yourself in the mirror, narcissist."

"And you scowl all the time, mirror or otherwise, Panda."

We had a staring match before Naru—probably thinking he was the better person—looked away with a sigh.

"What do you want to know?"

"Everything." I muttered, accepting the silent truce for now. "What the hell is going on to get me this charm thing?"

"What do you remember?"

My brows furrowed as I thought back. "Dealing with the black dog in the classroom was the last thing. After that, things get a bit fuzzy. I remember things happening, but trying to think about it just makes the memory fade away."

He watched me as I scratched at my old scarred arm anxiously. I wasn't used to having this much missing and I didn't like it. That, and there was something about this that was familiar. Not to me, but to Yuu, which only made me even more unnerved.

"You were possessed."

I whipped around to Naru in surprise. "What?"

He moved to sit beside me on the curb in front of the school where I'd chosen to rest. "The dog, most likely, was able to possess you after our encounter with it. You were rather cross and I assumed it had to do with what you mentioned about the smoke, however, you also ended up attacking a group of students as well. Sending one to the hospital."

I paled. "N-No. No, you're lying. I wouldn't… I didn't…"

"You did." He said firmly, looking at me directly. "But you were being overwhelmed, so it's understandable."

I stood up, angry and a bit scared. "No, it's not! I hurt someone! I _allowed_ myself to get taken over and someone got hurt because of me! I—"

He yanked my wrist, pulling me back down beside him. "You did nothing. The evil spirit that possessed you hurt someone, not you."

I opened my mouth to argue further, but a glare from him made me snap it shut.

"Don't blame yourself for something out of your control. If anything, it was my fault for not noticing there was anything wrong."

" _Your_ fault?"

"I have experience dealing with possessions, so yes. I should have seen the signs and—"

"You're hardly putting the blame on yourself, boy." I scoffed, earning a raised brow from Naru.

"' _Boy_ '?"

 _Shit. I showed my own age. God, think of something! Quick!_

"Yeah, _boy_. You're acting like a kid, if you're thinking like that." I fibbed, looking away as a bead of sweat slid down the back of my neck. "J-Just… tell me what else happened, okay? No one takes the blame. Tell me what I missed."

He eyed me a moment longer, before giving in—much to my relief—and explaining the disasters that had occurred in my absence. I got the feeling he was leaving something out though, something important. And it plagued me even as we went back inside to the base. _I swore there was a point where he was looking down at me in concern, but he didn't mention anything. I mean, maybe I imagined it? But why would I imagine falling asleep on Naru's lap?_

* * *

"It's a curse?"

Lin nodded, passing Naru the paper he'd been given by Yasuhara after some more discussion while Naru was dealing with Yuu and the principal. "Yes. If you bury it at a crossroads, you can drive someone mad. But if you bury it under a shrine, you can kill someone."

Naru was silent for a moment. "So, this Kokkuri-san was being used as a tool to spread the curse with the unsuspecting students carrying it out."

"They did everything from making the charm to actually performing the curse." Lin agreed. "With just this sheet, you could kill anyone."

"So, every day the students were innocently making charms and performing rituals. It just so happened that this was used as a means of possession to gather spirits and as a result fulfilling an aspect of the kodoku."

"That is what I suspect."

"Once the kodoku is complete, what will happen?"

"This person will die."

"'This person'?"

"Matsuyama-sensei." Yuu piped up, making the group turn to her in surprise. "Right?"

Lin nodded silently as Naru frowned.

"How did you—"

She shrugged. "I may not remember what I did while possessed, but I remember some stuff. That teacher in particular pissed me off. More than anyone. Whatever possessed me must have held some crazy amount of resentment towards the guy if I could remember that anger."

The door was shoved open and said topic of discussion walked in with a cocky grin.

"Aren't you ready to leave yet? There's nothing left for you to do. Do me a favor and pack your things and go."

Yuu stiffened and lifted her lip is a snarl, but a quick tap on the hand from Naru and she slowly relaxed. While no longer possessed, lingering feelings from it would hang around for a while longer, especially while still in the school. Naru had to keep an eye on her and monitor any residual effects; handling them when they cropped up, like just now. Once she was back under control, he stepped towards the teacher.

"I'm terribly sorry, but there something else we need to talk about."

"Hm? What's left to discuss."

"Sensei, I think you should hear this."

"What? Is this about your fees?" The man snapped as Mai had to be held back by Bou-san to keep from jumping in. "Don't you try to trick me. Never mind, just leave now."

Naru waved the curse paper in front of him.

"What's this?"

"It's a cursed charm."

"A cursed charm?"

Having caught the man's attention, Naru went on. "Sensei, are you aware that Kokkuri-san is popular in your school?"

"Well…"

"This is used in Kokkuri-san. It seems that someone has introduced a new, deceptive form of Kokkuri-san."

"So?"

"This cursed charm was used to case a hex."

"That's completely absurd! It's not possible to kill someone with a curse. And who, might I ask, was the intended victim?"

"You, Matsuyama-sensei." Naru said blankly, making the man stiffen as he passed the paper to Lin. "Isn't that right, Lin?"

"Yes, sir."

"Why me?"

Lin passed the paper to Bou-san. "Takigawa-san, can you read Sanskrit?"

"Uh-huh. Well enough to get by."

"Please read what it says here on the right."

"It says, 'write the name of the cursed victim here'." Even Bou-san looked a little unnerved as he continued. "I see. I can make out the name 'Hideki Matsuyama'."

"Wha—"

"Sanskrit is completely unnecessary for playing Kokkuri-san." Lin explained, cutting the man off. "Also, the left side lists an age. Naru, can you read it?"

"I'm terrible at reading Kanji."

Yuu sighed, taking the paper and looking it over. "Fifty-three years old this year."

"That's about your age, isn't it?" Naru asked. "Good thing for us that the age at least, was written in this standard, legible way. If 'Matsuyama' had been written this clearly, anyone could have guessed something was going on. I wonder why it was deliberately written in Sanskrit?"

"Who… Who could have done this?"

"Invoking Orikiri-sama became popular within the art club and first-year students." Naru explained. "But not everyone is capable of performing this curse easily. This is clearly a person to be reckoned with."

"Wait! Was it Sakauchi! What was that idiot trying to do! What the hell are you—"

"Don't you realize why you were chosen?" Someone cut him off and he was surprised to see Yasuhara's angry expression.

"Yasuhara…"

"I am not a dog." Yuu said clearly, making his eyes flicker to her and back to the student as Naru tapped her hand again to gain her focus.

"That's all that was in Sakauchi-kun's suicide note." Yasuhara explained to the ignorant teacher. "We all felt this school treated us like we were dogs. Any of us could have written this about you, sensei. Sensei, you represent all that's wrong with this school."

Naru stepped in then. "It won't make a difference if we root out the perpetrators now. Once they've invoked the curse, it can't be stopped."

"Then, what's going to happen!"

"You'll die." Yuu shrugged indifferently, making the man go pale as Naru ignored her comment and turned to Lin.

"Any solutions?"

"None so far."

"Is it possible to reverse the curse?"

"We could. But could we?"

"We don't have a choice. Death may soothe a soul's pain, but if everyone truly understood what death means, no one would ever commit suicide." Naru sighed heavily. "We'll reverse the curse."

"Reverse the curse?" Mai breathed out.

"In other words, turn the curse back onto the original conjurers. Once the last spirit has devoured everything, time will run out and the kodoku will be complete. If that happens, death awaits Matsuyama-sensei. That would be cruel, even for him. Before we let that happen…"

He was forced to trail off as Matsuyama began to cackle.

"Y-You're going to help me? Haha, you are! I won't die after all!"

"Sensei." Naru silenced him. "This is all your fault, please keep that in mind."

He stopped as Yuu scoffed.

"Keep acting like a dick, and you'll have another curse on your hands and maybe you _will_ end up dying next time. Every dog bites back when its owner mistreats it."

He shrunk away from her glare as Bou-san turned to Naru with furrowed brows.

"But, Naru-chan, Sakauchi-san is already dead. How can we reverse the curse back onto a dead person?"

"…It's true, we can't reverse a curse onto a dead man, but anyway, he's not the one who invoked the curse in the first place."

"Huh?"

"If we reverse the curse, the curse is reflected back to the original conjurer."

"But if we don't know who that is…"

"The students were the ones who invoked the curse."

The group went silent, only Mai's breathy whisper cutting through.

"Wha… Wait… What do you mean?"

"He means, Sakauchi-san just got his revenge on everyone who ever mocked him and more, by making them do what he wished and take the fall for him." Yuu replied simply, rubbing at her arm once more.

"No! Stop it, Naru! This is wrong!"

"Would you rather see Matsuyama-sensei die?" He argued. "You're the one who's wrong. Those clueless students invoked the curse. If they are not punished, then by law, we will be accomplices in murder. We'll be reversing the curse upon the students. I realize that this is all that person's fault, but we must do what is fair, even with regret."

"But—"

"Shibuya-san." Yasuhara cut in. "If you reverse the curse, what will happen to us?"

"A lot of people invoked the curse. So many that I think the power of the curse reversal will be split and the effect on each person will be limited."

"Let's pray that's true." Bou-san muttered.

Mai went to argue again, but Yuu silenced her.

"Mai, just let it go for now. Trust me."

She whipped around, ready to snap at her, but paused, hesitating at something in the look on her face.

"But what about Matsuyama-sensei? Why save him at the expense of everyone else? He's the only one who'll go unpunished? That's just wrong."

"No matter how despicable someone may be, that's not a good enough reason to kill him." Naru countered her argument, which only made her angrier; tugging against Yuu's grip on her wrist.

"There's no good reason for us to kill everyone else, either!"

"Everyone must take responsibility for his or her own actions."

"But none of them understood the consequences!"

"Ignorance is no excuse."

Mai pursed her lips, looking hurt, before gritting her teeth.

"Mai, please just think about what I said for a minute and—"

"No, Yuu! You're just as bad as him! I hate you! And I hate you too, Naru! I hate you both and everything you stand for!"

"It is an honor to be despised by fools." Naru replied calmly as Yuu let go of Mai solemnly. "Lin, begin the preparations."

"Yes, sir."

"Yuu, with us." Naru demanded. "You can help with some aspects that we may need you for."

Yuu slowly nodded, giving Mai one last look before following them out; leaving her to burst into tears the moment the door was closed.

* * *

Mai and Bou-san headed back to the base after a long day the evening before with Mai risking her life to try and help the students in one last desperate act. Upon reaching the conference room, Naru faced them with his hands crossed over his chest.

"What brings you back?"

"What setup are you considering?" Bou-san asked simply, hands tucked nonchalantly in his pockets. "You don't have a display in here."

He was right. There was no big, open display of what could be used to reverse a curse. It was just a silver plate with a paper inside and two candles lit beside it. Sitting in front of that was Lin with Yuu standing behind him; a hand on his shoulder. As Mai's anxiety and worry for the students grew at the sight, she couldn't hold herself back and ran to the setup.

"Lin-san! Yuu!"

"Mai!"

"Lin-san, stop it! Please!"

Naru grabbed her wrist. "You're still spouting that nonsense?" He snapped, Mai's shouting having not disturbed the greatly focused, closed-eyed duo.

"It's not nonsense! No one deserves this! Even if all of them did put a death curse on Matsuyama-sensei!" She ripped her hand from his grip. "Everyone in the gym right now, they have no idea, right? No idea what's about to happen to them!"

Naru's patience snapped and he grabbed her wrist roughly, ignoring her complaints.

"Ouch! That hurts! Let go!"

"Everybody, get out! You're disturbing Lin and Yuu!" He shouted, tossing Mai out with the others who, more willingly, left the room.

"Why! Why are you helping Matsuyama-sensei by killing everyone else! Do you really think they were all involved!" Mai continued to rage outside once he closed the doors behind him. "There are probably people who unknowingly helped with the curse. They didn't know it would actually kill Matsuyama-sensei. So why are you trying to kill them all!"

Naru didn't say a word, which only irked her further.

"You murderers." She breathed out, being grabbed by Bou-san who could see the situation spiraling out of control. "If you can solve this case, what good will come of it? The death and mourning. What good will it do? It's not too late to stop! It's not too late!"

"Bou-san, please restrain Mai." Naru stated calmly and he did so as the young man retreated back into the conference room.

Bou-san took Mai downstairs, setting her down on a step as she shouted.

"Why doesn't anyone stop them?"

"Mai."

"It's not right! Stop them from trying!"

"Have faith in Naru." He told her firmly, making her pause. "You don't really think that Naru would betray our beliefs, do you?"

"But… would he?" She murmured, calming down.

"No. So have faith. It'll be fine. If you don't believe him, then think about Yuu. I may not know her that well, but you do. Would she really go along with what he was planning if she thought it was wrong? She hated that sensei just as much as the rest of us."

"But…"

 _I don't really know her. She's… She's not really Yuu anymore, right? So, do I really…_ The guilt in her grew from that thought, and tears filled her eyes as Bou-san reassured her that she wasn't the only one worrying for the students. She continued to sit with him on the steps, waiting for news from Naru and determined to apologize to Yuu for her thoughts. _How could I think that I don't know her? Sure, it's technically a different person, but… even now, we've gotten to know each other._ Her head perked up at the sound of footsteps and she stood at the sight of Naru, Ayako and Masako heading her way.

"It's over? Really?"

"Yes."

Mai's eyes widened and she rushed to the gym to see what horrible results lay in wait for the students who had conjured the curse. Upon opening the door though, she wasn't sure _what_ to think.

"What happened? What is it?" Bou-san panted after having rushed after her.

The floor of the gym was covered with broken and whole hitogatas. Mai picked one up in shock.

"But before there were actual students…"

Naru reached past her and picked up a sliver of wood. "Bou-san."

"What's up?"

"Ask John to verify the hitogatas. As for Matsuzaki-san, Hara-san and Mai."

"Yes?"

"Would you please gather up the nametags on the undamaged hitogatas. Make a list of the names. Then, find out where those individuals are and make sure they're safe."

Mai nodded, dazed, but went and did as he asked. Once she had got through them all, her and the others smiled in relief.

"All done. There's no more."

"We did it!"

 _Naru had this all planned out, ever since he decided to reverse the curse…_ Mai headed outside for some air and blinked at Naru standing nearby Yuu, who was sprawled out on the grass, asleep.

"How did it go?" Naru asked when she came up by him.

"Everyone's fine. Everyone who didn't invoke the Orikiri-sama, that is."

"Is that so."

Mai shuffled awkwardly. "Would it have been wrong to have made a Matsuyama-sensei hitogata as a surrogate also?"

"Which is safer?" He questioned. "Cursing one person's hitogata, or splitting the curse among six hundred."

Mai stuck out her bottom lip in annoyance. "Man. You could have at least told me what you two were planning."

"It's hard to transfer curses onto hitogatas. As much as Lin wanted to, he couldn't save everyone."

Mai's expression softened. "But now I realize those mean things I said…"

"Were wrong." Naru said simply, surprising her. "That was really cruel of me. It's because you give up on people so easily. It's annoying. You should do something about that."

"Unbelievable!" Mai complained, cheeks red. "I… I apologized to you and you just threw it back in my face! You're always like that with me!"

Naru cracked a small smile before turning away. "Take care of Yuu for me."

Mai whipped around to the slumbering woman in concern. "Is she okay?"

"Exhausted, mostly." He shrugged, eyeing the woman on the ground. "I was simply making sure that she didn't go off and do something stupid."

"And the… the possession?"

"Should be completely gone now, even the side effects." He hummed. "Helping Lin though, will have taken a lot out of her. Don't be surprised if she gets ill later. Dealing with the possession on top of transferring her spirit energy can do that."

"What?" Mai blinked, watching as Naru smiled at something, holding out his hand for a brief moment before dropping it; as if he'd caught something for a split second.

He then left, giving no response to her questioning gaze, nor to the ghostly sparrow that settled itself on her shoulder.


	5. Chapter 5

_Help._

 _A woman was dragged across a tiled floor, struggling to keep her numb legs underneath her and catch some sort of purchase in the hopes of getting away from the two men holding her arms._

 _Help._

 _A bloody table and wash basin lay waiting ahead of her as a man put on a pair of rubber gloves and picked up a butcher knife._

 _Help… help… help… help me._

 _Wide, pale, lifeless eyes watched the scene with a certain amount of glee as the woman was strapped to the table, though a single thought sent a shiver down his spine. His whole reason for doing this. His life essence._

 _I don't want to die._

* * *

I jolted upright, breath hitched in my throat and covered in a light sheen of sweat as a cold pack fell off my forehead and onto my lap. I was chilled and not from the fever I'd had the last few days but from a dream. One I couldn't remember. I groaned and placed a hand on my forehead as a headache pounded away behind my temples. _Side affects my arse. I've had a headache for a week now, a sore throat for three days and a fever for five. I hate being a spiritual battery._ I reached over and picked up my cell to check the time and cursed under my breath. I was late for work.

Knowing I was bound to get scolded by Lin anyway—Naru was out of town for a while—I took my time getting ready and made sure I packed a water bottle and some cold medicine for while I was in the office. Neither he, Naru or Mai had figured out that I was sick yet and I planned on keeping it that way. I knew how Mai could get when I was hurt, much less sick and I couldn't afford to miss work. I'd recently spent money on some books in Naru's library to study up on ghosts and such to better prepare myself for future cases, so I was a bit low on money to pay for rent—which was due a week ago. My landlady was being nice and extended my deadline for another two weeks, but I was going to barely scrape by unless I got paid before then. _And I'm not about to_ ask _Naru to pay me early. He is suspicious enough about me and adding possible financial issues and what caused them to the list is a bad idea. Plus, he'd probably make that stupid smirk of his if he found out I was interested in possibly getting into this line of work. I mean, a ghost magnet as a ghost hunter… God, what am I thinking?_

I pushed the depressing thought from my mind, having had more of them as of late without any real explanation why. I assumed it was another side effect, but I was considering adding a therapy session to my list of bills if it continued. For now, though, I focused on the commute to work and the music in my headphones as I strolled into SPR as though I wasn't over an hour late.

"Hey," I grumbled out, taking my headphones out only to get a response I didn't expect.

"You're late."

I blinked, turning to the armchair and staring at Naru in confusion. "I… I thought you were out of town…"

"I was," he frowned as a blonde woman bounded in with a smile.

"And then I called him back! Hello. I'm Madoka. You must be the other part-timer. Yuu-san, right?"

"A-Ah…" I looked around, seeing all the others gathered as well. "I… missed something, didn't I?"

Naru sighed. "You were about to if you hadn't shown up. May I ask why you're late?"

"Overslept," I partially lied, and he rolled his eyes.

"Sit down, Panda."

"I told you not to call me that," I bit out, but did as he said, setting my backpack aside as I took a seat next to a chuckling Bou-san, who ruffled my hair much to my annoyance.

"As I was saying, a client has offered us a new case. I'd like to ask for everyone's help," Naru explained as I tried to remember why this felt so familiar. "It's a big case to take on. The client has asked us to use our utmost discretion. If the press hears about it, it'll become a media circus. I really don't want to take the case, but various circumstances make it unavoidable."

Masako spoke up then. "Is this the one Ohashi-san brought to you? I already received this case last week."

"Then maybe you'd like to solve this one on your own?" Naru challenged and she lifted her kimono sleeve to hide her smile.

"Of course, you'll have my full cooperation."

Naru moved on. "Anyway, I personally want to avoid all contact with the media, so I've asked Yasuhara-san to be my stand-in."

Said man entered the room with a cheerful grin, ready and eager to help, much to everyone's shock.

"I know you hate the press, but to the point that you need an impersonator?" Bou-san questioned.

"If it wasn't true, I wouldn't have asked Yasuhara-san to come. The client has apparently called together other mediums and the media will flock once they get a whiff of something suspicious going on."

Bou-san smirked. "So, if something's distasteful to you, you dump it on someone else?"

"If you're not interested, do you think I'd care if you left right now?"

"Enough! Why can't you ever ask for a favor properly? Is that the tone we use when asking people for favors? You always talk like a selfish brat!" Madoka snapped, hands on her hips in a huff until she turned to us with a sweet smile. "I apologize! This child hasn't learned his manners."

"Madoka! Would you please be quiet? Stop talking," Naru snapped as we openly gaped at how the two talked to one another.

"I'm sorry. So, watch your mouth," the woman smiled and Naru pursed his lips as she went on. "Naru hates to make a big show of things. He's refused cases similar to this in the past, but he's taking this on as a favor to me. I know this will be a great inconvenience for everyone. I humbly request your assistance."

She bowed deeply and Bou-san, Mai and John all bowed in return though I was more concerned with something else and thrust a thumb over at Yasuhara.

"Hold on. So, I have to start calling Mr. Happy over here 'boss' then?"

Naru shrugged. "Most likely, since this time I'm just a mere investigator."

"So, who's our client?" Ayako asked, curious and a newspaper was passed over. "That's the…"

I blinked in surprise at the man on the front page. "The Prime Minister? Christ. How is the media not _already_ all over this?"

"He's kept any public knowledge of what is going on under wraps. As far as I know, there will be no media presence on sight, however, that's not to say we won't attract any if the other mediums spread word," Naru replied, taking the paper back. "That being said, we'll leave at the end of the week, so you all have time to prepare. I'm unsure how long we'll be staying, but I doubt it will be a quick case, so prepare the usual."

"Yes, boss," we all sighed, and I pulled out my water and took some medicine as discretely as I could; brows furrowed once the others all left and headed home.

 _Why does this feel so familiar? I can't remember which episode of Ghost Hunt comes after Yasuhara's one. It's been a while since I've seen the show, so the order is a mess in my head. I've got a bad feeling though._ And when we arrived at the place we'd be working; all my fears were quickly justified.

* * *

"Wow, this is breathtaking. Is there really a mansion like this in Japan?"

Breathtaking was right. Just the sight of the mansion made my breath hitch in my throat as it all came flooding back. _Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no. Not this one. I'm not ready. I-I don't even know how I can prepare myself for this._ I swallowed thickly as my eyes skimmed over the mansion in front of us that already seemed to ooze black smoke. _We're not even inside and already…_ My stomach churned at the thought of being stuck inside of the mansion for even a second, but it was hard for me to tell if it was due to a combination of my cold and the place itself or just whatever was lurking inside. Naru had already given me a blessed rosary bracelet from John to help keep me safe from possession and I clung to it under my shirt sleeve desperately. After the last possession, he'd demanded I keep it on me. _Something about my "shields" being weakened after one possession and it being easier for spirits to possess me again until I was completely clear of after effects. I-I just didn't expect them to last this long. I-I didn't expect_ this _to be the next case. I am_ so _not prepared for this._

"Everything all right, Yuu?"

I flinched when Bou-san placed a hand on my shoulder, earning me a raised brow.

"Y-Yeah, sorry. Just…" I shifted my eyes to the mansion. "Never mind. It's nothing."

He didn't look convinced but didn't push it as we all headed towards the doors to meet with Ohashi. Just the lobby though, had me choking back a cough.

"Welcome and thank you for coming. My name is Ohashi," the man who greeted us bowed. "I will grant you full authority on this case. Please consider me just another client. Incidentally, your president is…"

Yasuhara stepped forward with a smile. "Oh, that would be me. I am the president, Kazuya Shibuya."

Ohashi smiled. "I heard that you were extremely young. As for the rest of you…"

Yasuhara turned to introduce us.

"They are all mediums who are also close acquaintances of mine. I asked for their cooperation on this case."

Bou-san bowed with the rest of us as we introduced ourselves and Yasuhara turned to Naru, Lin, Mai and myself.

"These are my four assistants."

Mai was quick to bow and introduce herself and I bowed my head slightly with a quick "Hisoka Yuu" before coughing into my elbow with an apology, unable to hold it back any longer as my eyes began to water, and a headache pounded right behind my eyes. I was lucky the others weren't paying much attention; too busy gaping at Naru's fake name and Lin's origination from China to care. It was then that Ohashi led us past the stairs and my bad feeling grew far more significant.

My blood ran cold, and I froze in place, feeling those dead eyes on me—boring into me as a tongue slid over dry, cracked lips in eager anticipation. My breath hitched in my throat and I couldn't breathe as the heavy scent of blood filled my nostrils and sent my already twisting stomach into somersaults. I struggled to move as the sound of wet feet slapped across the tiled floor, growing closer and closer to me until I swore I could feel his breath on the back of my neck and the retched stank of his decomposing body tried to choke me. I was only startled out of it when Mai bumped my shoulder in her hurry to join the others and the moment she went to turn around and apologize was the moment I covered my mouth and ran into the nearest bathroom to vomit. By the time I had drained myself of the last of my energy, the meeting between our group and the other mediums had started and I was swiftly seated with the rest of our group at a table. Mai looked at me in concern and made to ask me something but was cut off as Ohashi cleared his throat and began.

"To begin, I would like to introduce everyone whom I asked to come. Housen Temple's chief priest, Kenshou Imura-sama;" who was an older looking gentleman in a monk outfit, "Chie Igarashi-sensei, a national defense academy professor and her assistant, Naoko Suzuki-sama;" a pair of ladies, "Masako Hara-sama, a medium; Reimei Minami-sama, president of Minami Psychic Research Center and his employees, Hideo Atsugi-sama, Yukie Shiraishi-sama and Miwa Fukuda-sama, and their observer Doctor Oliver Davis of the British Society for Psychic Research."

The blonde man smirked ever so slightly as Ayako leaned forward in her seat in shock.

"No way. Really?" She breathed out as a number of the others were stunned as well to see the man in person.

 _Shame he's not the real thing and Naru is._ My gaze shifted ever so slightly to Naru to see if there was any reaction, but he looked as unbothered as ever and I simply sank a little further into my seat, massaging my temples with my knuckles to battle the headache I was still dealing with. I missed the small frown he aimed my way as our group was introduced and Ohashi finished up.

"During the course of your investigations on our behalf, you may stay here. You may retire or return to your quarters at any time, but we cannot permit you to leave the premises. We ask that you please respect these conditions."

Minami slammed a hand against his chest proudly. "You can count on us! After all, we have Dr. Davis and if the situation should get even worse, I can always call on Alex Taunus, Uri Geller, or someone else."

The man was shot annoyed glares from some of the people in the room before we were dismissed and went to go set up equipment in our own designated "base" rooms. Thankfully, Mai had apparently forgotten about the way I had acted in the entryway due to the appearance of the fake Oliver Davis and was discussing things with John and the others. It was only when Ohashi walked in to talk to our 'boss' that I noticed Naru had been eyeing me since my return. I fought to keep my attention away as they discussed the dark history of the mansion, only to feel eyes on me the moment they'd finished.

"Huh, doesn't this feel like the proverbial 'haunted mansion?'" Ayako questioned.

"Agreed. An old Western-style mansion with lots of history. Naru, what's wrong?"

I glanced ever so briefly over at him and felt a chill go down my spine at the narrowed gaze aimed my way.

"Something's not right," he murmured.

"What's that?"

"A haunted mansion, abandoned for years. A convoluted building with no blueprints. We need to stay there overnight."

 _Do we have to?_ My silent question was echoed by Bou-san.

"Whoa, I'm not sure I'm up for that."

"We'll go there discreetly. Mai, for now, set up thermal sensors in various locations. Bou-san, we'll go before the sun sets. Someone should definitely be there after sunset."

I opened my mouth only to cough, bringing my arm up to cover my mouth as Bou-san continued to question Naru's judgment.

"Is that safe?"

"Yes. We should go a little before sunset and in pairs. No one patrols alone," Naru ordered. "And Matsuzaki-san, please write up some charms. If we split up, we can cover each room."

"Aren't we being a bit over-cautious?" Bou-san challenged as I continued to hack and choke, stepping over to the side as my eyes watered.

"Those are the words of a careless man looking for an excuse to be lazy. Mai, get Yuu something to drink."

Mai spotted me and hastily nodded, rushing off as Naru eyed me only to catch the cocky smirk Bou-san had.

"What?"

"I see. We should definitely be on our toes. But this cautious attitude is such a sudden change of heart for you 'investigator Narumi-kun.'" Bou-san joked as Mai handed me a glass of water.

Ayako too joined in on the teasing. "That's right. You don't sound like a 'lowly investigator.' Authority like that is reserved only for the president and that would be our honorable president. Naturally, he wouldn't cop such an attitude with us."

Naru stood, smiling sickly sweet. "Let's come to an agreement then. I will defer to my elders. So, whoever wants to take charge of this operation, please step forward. Matsuzaki-sama? Takigawa-sama?"

My coughing had finally calmed down at this point, but Mai was quick to realize something was wrong and not just with me.

"Masako? What's wrong? You look pale." Mai turned to me then. "And Yuu, you've been acting strange since we got here."

Masako answered as I shifted my uneasy gaze away. "Something's… I've felt an anxiety ever since we entered this house. There's the scent of blood in here."

"I see…"

Naru overheard us and narrowed his eyes. "What is it?"

"For a moment, at the entrance. I thought I smelled blood," Mai responded.

"What?" Ayako exclaimed. "You should have said something sooner!"

"I thought I was just imagining it! I completely forgot because Yuu rushed out all of a sudden."

All eyes went to me and I silently scolded Mai in my head for drawing their attention my way.

"Are you sick or something? You _have_ been coughing an awful lot." Bou-san asked, reaching out to try and touch my forehead, but I lightly slapped his hand away.

"I'm fine," I croaked out, throat sore, but Naru snapped at me.

" _Yuu_."

I flinched, knowing that he'd force me to stop lying sooner or later, especially after what I'd gotten into in the last case.

"There's just… smoke. Everywhere," I grumbled, clearing my throat as best I could. "Thick, black. Whatever's here isn't good."

"And did you also smell blood at the entrance?"

I hesitated, before nodding. "Yes, but worse than them and… someone was watching me. I ran off to the bathroom afterward. The smell was too much."

"I see." Naru seemed to have gotten the hint and gave me a stern look. "You're not to go anywhere alone and must have a professional with you at all times."

"Naru, I don't need a baby—"

"I'm not taking any chances," he replied shortly. "And I don't believe you want a repeat of the last case either, so just do as I say, Yuu."

I bit back a retort begrudgingly, knowing that in the long run, he was right. As much as I didn't want to be forced into having someone around me constantly, a part of me was glad. This was the last place I wanted to be on my own.

* * *

"Wow," Mai and the others breathed out every time they spotted another door or window or set of stairs that led to nowhere or jutted out of the wall in strange places

Yuu however, remained silent as they walked around to take temperatures—eyeing things in distaste with a bandana covering her nose and mouth now to help with the unseen smoke she'd been dealing with.

"This is a surprise. It feels like we're in a painting."

"The owner's father and grandfather must've been artists."

"Bou-san, watch your—" Mai was cut off as Bou-san tripped over a small wall jutting out of the ground; him having been distracted by other features of the home in his wanderings. "You okay?"

"What's this beam doing here?"

"Cheer up, Takigawa-san," Yasuhara grinned. "You're so tense on the job."

Bou-san sent him a dirty look. "It's because you're the president's stand-in."

Mai agreed. "He's even weirder than Naru. How are you feeling Yuu?"

Yuu still looked a little pale and Mai winced at the look she received for asking her that question.

"It's hard to breathe with this cloth over my face," she stated bluntly, and Mai let out an awkward chuckle.

"B-But it's better than the smoke, right?"

"I just want to get out of here," Yuu muttered, turning away and Mai only grew more concerned.

"I've never seen you want to leave a case so bad," Bou-san commented. "You sure you're all right? There's nothing going on that we don't know about?"

"No."

He shrugged, knowing that would probably be the only response he was going to get from her. Despite how close the group had become, Yuu was about as hard to get answers from as Naru and Bou-san knew that pushing the issue would do more harm than good. So, he'd do what he always did; joke.

"Just ease up a bit, yeah? It's bad enough having Naru in a foul mood. We don't need a second version of him."

Yuu shot him a glare and elbowed him harshly in the ribs as they approached the next room they were supposed to work on.

"This is the strangest room yet," Yasuhara muttered as they all got a good look around.

"I feel like a lost child."

Yuu raised a brow at Mai. "Aren't you always?"

Mai pouted, slapping her arm as they explored the room.

"What a strange house. This room has random corridors that lead nowhere. It feels like an RPG," Yasuhara hummed, opening a window that was facing a brick wall.

"With a real dungeon? Mai, take notes on the exact layout of the rooms," Bou-san ordered, and she nodded as Yuu went to help.

"Those people vanished in here two months ago."

"That's what Ohashi-san said," Mai mused, setting down the digital thermal sensor.

"If they got lost, don't you think they'd already be dead?" Yasuhara contemplated. "I don't think we'll discover a corpse just by wandering around."

Bou-san agreed, making to open some window shutters. "This makes no sense. Anything we could find and the police would have fou—Ah!"

Yuu winced as Mai clung to her notes at Bou-san's scream.

"What is it?"

"Just Bou-san being a chicken," Yuu mused, heading over to the window with Mai as Bou-san explained his sudden scream.

"Why does this window open into another room instead of outside? This house is just as weird as we'd thought. These shutters must have been added during renovations."

The digital thermal sensor went off then and Yuu went over to check the readings.

"The entire room sank four degrees after you opened the window," she replied, resisting a shiver. "We should just head to the next room."

Mai nodded. "Which way did we come in?"

Yasuhara and Bou-san bother pointed in different directions and Yuu sighed, leading the way instead.

"This way," she grumbled, coughing a little with a cringe. "I hate this place. It's too much like the Winchester House."

"The Winchester House?" Yasuhara questioned and Bou-san explained.

"It's this convoluted 'mystery house.' There was a legend that claimed that misfortune would befall the owner once she'd finished building the house, so she just never stopped renovating it."

"That's not what I heard," Yuu spoke up, making them look to her. "I heard that the lady who owned the place was the owner of all the Winchester Rifles and she saw a psychic medium who said she was going to be killed by the ghosts of all those who the rifles' killed unless she kept adding onto her home."

"Close enough," Bou-san shrugged. "But the Winchester house is just a myth. Hey, come over here."

He brought the group over to the center of the next room where there sat a door to another smaller room.

"A room within a room… I don't get it."

"There's nothing to get," Yuu grumbled. "This place was made to confuse whatever is lying in wait to haunt people, is my guess. Either that or it's just a mess to hide something suspicious."

Mai shivered. "C-Could you not be saying stuff like that, Yuu?"

"Nope. Keeps you on your toes," she hummed as Yasuhara took a peek into the smaller room and the door opened behind the group. Minami had apparently found them and smiled happily as he stepped in.

"Hey, aren't you the Shibuya Psychic Research team?" Minami caught sight of the digital thermal sensor in Yuu's hand and hummed. "A digital thermal sensor. Are you measuring the temperature? That's good. It's key to psychic investigations. The temperature drops in places where ghostly phenomena occurred. Your president may be young, but he knows a lot."

Yuu said nothing, just silently staring at Minami, which made the man's chuckle grow uneasy until Mai hastily stepped in.

"T-Thank you. Are you doing the same, Minami-san?"

"Yes! I'm using the methods Dr. Davis passed down to me," he smiled, waving an alcohol thermometer around, much to Mai's unease. "We shouldn't have trade secrets, so feel free to use any of my techniques if you like. Humans were born to learn."

"Oh, thank you…"

Minami's associates called his attention to the next room though, so the man was gone as quickly as he'd come, not even making notes of any measurements he might have taken.

"Idiot," Yuu huffed, heading back the way they came. "Psychic researcher my ass. And I'll bet money that Davis is a fake."

"D-Don't say that!" Bou-san exclaimed, rushing after her as they headed back towards the base.

She turned around with a raised brow. "You can't seriously think he's the real deal. As if Davis himself would just show up and display himself so openly. Someone that famous would be smart to keep to himself to prevent unwanted attention? You saw what could happen on our last cases to those who showed off their abilities."

Bou-san bowed his head in a pout as Mai sighed and pat the depressed man's arm in a small form of comfort as they returned to the base to give a report to Naru as to what they found. Mai handed over the papers she'd taken notes on and explained what they'd found before immediately teasing Bou-san about his crush on Dr. Davis. As the group began to discuss said man more though, Naru moved to start getting the camera set up and gave Yuu a glare until she helped as well. They worked in relative silence for a while before Naru finally spoke up.

"Have you had any other concerns over this case other than the smoke and what you experienced in the entryway?"

"The smoke is terrible, but this is helping," Yuu muttered, gesturing to the cloth around her face. "I still don't like it here. This place is hiding something."

"What do you mean?"

"The windows leading to nowhere, the maze of rooms, beams jutting out of the floor; what do you think I mean? Bou-san compared it to the Winchester House, but this isn't a deterrent for ghosts if things are still happening and I don't like that I'm feeling like I'm being watched constantly."

Naru frowned. "Still?"

Yuu hesitated but nodded. "I don't like this place. I don't like whatever is hiding in it, watching us. And I especially don't like your constant questions."

Naru rolled his eyes. "I'm simply trying to get a better understanding of what may be going on here and you're my most valuable source for that information at the moment. Masako-san and Mai aren't being effected as badly as you are, so whatever is going on here, you are sensing it better than any of us ever could."

"It's not a good thing," she grumbled as they went to set up another camera.

"I wasn't saying it was, but I'd rather see a larger picture than bits and pieces. Though, I see your little bird friend is gone."

"He's outside somewhere," Yuu replied, not looking pleased. "He did the same thing with the doll case. He doesn't like it here and knows better, so stays away. Even in the last case, he only stuck around because he was hurt and stayed close to me."

"I see… and you haven't been sleeping well again."

"Tell me something I don't know."

Naru cracked a small smirk at that as they returned to the base where they spotted the others still chit-chatting while they'd been working.

"You all seem to be enjoying yourselves."

"Yo, Naru-chan, Yuu. Where did you go?" Bou-san questioned cheerfully.

"We went to set up the cameras, of course. I came here to work."

Bou-san and Mai caught sight of the few remaining cameras as Naru made of show of rubbing his shoulders.

"Sorry! I'll get set up right now!"

"It's all right, Taniyama-san. The work's too heavy for a woman of your stature," Naru remarked coldly as Bou-san struggled to raise the mood and figure out where he would need to set up the cameras.

"Did you set them up nearby?"

"For now, we've placed them in the center of where everyone will be sleeping. From there, we'll maintain a safety zone and gradually increase the radius. It's far from here, but that can't be helped."

Bou-san picked up some equipment with a sigh. "But Mai, Yuu, you should get in touch with your families and let them know you'll be here a while."

"No worries. We'll be fine," Mai commented, looking over her notes as Yuu remained silent and made some coffee.

"But your parents will be worried."

"But I'm an orphan."

The entire group froze in shock and Mai heard the silence, turning to look at them in concern.

"What's wrong?"

"You're an… orphan?"

"That's right. Yuu too."

Yuu ignored the gazes on her back as Bou-san questioned them further.

"Well, what about grandmothers or grandfathers or…"

"Nobody. I don't have a single living relative. My father died when I was really small, and my mom died when I was in junior high," Mai explained nonchalantly. "Some of my teachers helped me out by letting me stay at their houses."

"And then what?"

"And then what?" Mai questioned again.

"Who supports you now?"

"I do! It's great," she chirped. "Thanks to our school's generosity to the needy, our school fees were waived, and our living expenses are covered by scholarships and this part-time job. Especially since the pay's so good."

"What about you, Yuu?" Ayako questioned next and Yuu shrugged.

"Never knew my parents. My mother abandoned me as a child and I don't have any other family. I was raised in an orphanage until I found the school and was able to work off an apartment with a few part-time jobs."

Bou-san stepped forwards and pulled both her and Mai into a tight embrace. "I'll take care of you. Come, cry on my—"

"No way! Let go of me!" Mai shouted, struggling in his grip as Yuu scowled and opened her mouth.

"You always tell me life's so exhausting. You can be my—Ow!"

He abruptly let go as Yuu stuck out her tongue in disgust, having bitten his arm to get herself released.

"You bit me!"

Yuu shot him a look. "And you were strangling me, so I think we're even."

Bou-san pouted. "You're so not cute."

Yuu flipped him the bird as the others chuckled and continued to joke around with the two.

"Is that why you can devote so much to this job?" Ayako questioned, and Mai smiled innocently.

"Our school has always allowed us to take time off for work, but not only does this job pay the bills, it feels like I'm on vacation."

"Then, you work, even on days you want to skip school."

"I take a break only when I really need to," Mai muttered, looking nervous with the looks she was receiving.

Bou-san though, hummed. "I've figured you out. You're only doing this, so you can skip school. You're gonna grow up stupid."

"That was mean! You're just like Naru!" Mai complained.

"Does this mean the same for Yuu?" Bou-san questioned with a smirk, but Yuu scoffed.

"Please. I get perfect scores on my tests."

Mai nodded hastily. "Yeah. Yuu is really smart. She helps me study for tests, usually. I don't think I've ever seen her get a low score."

"No way. Seriously?"

Naru cleared his throat, drawing their attention back to what they were supposed to be doing. "Anyway, set up the night-vision cameras and thermographs at five locations, then set up condenser mikes in the same places. When that's done, Bou-san, John-san, and Yasuhara-san would you three measure the dimensions of all rooms and corridors? We need to draft our own blueprint, but since the sun is setting, we'll do that later. Mai and the rest, please adjust the equipment. Yuu, you'll be here helping Lin with any monitors that still need to be set up."

Yuu didn't look pleased about being in a separate group with Lin but begrudgingly agreed. Naru, after all, didn't like what she'd said earlier, and her words ate at him in a way he didn't think they would.

" _I don't like this place. I don't like whatever is hiding in it, watching us."_

" _This place is hiding something."_

* * *

 _Something was dripping. Drop by drop, spilling onto tiled floor. I shifted in my sleep, begrudgingly opening bleary eyes and sitting up._ Someone left the water running in the bathroom _. I groaned slightly, yawning and getting up, slowly padding my way towards the bathroom connected to the room the girls were stuck in during our stay here. It didn't click in my head that something was off; that I could see clearly without any smoke fogging my vision. I stepped towards the sink, but no water dripped from the nozzle as I'd thought. Frowning, I was prepared to head back to bed, believing myself to have imagined the whole thing, except the sound came from behind me._

 _Drip._

 _I turned to the shower and a chill went up my spine as a heavy metallic smell assaulted my nose. It was coming back to me now._ I shouldn't be here _. My mind practically screamed, but my body was moving on its own; closer and closer to the shower before ripping away the shower curtain. The bath was full of blood and a pale lifeless body floated in the center of it. Its crazed eyes shifting to mine and bile rose in my constricted throat as something moved closer to me from behind. I took a step back, feeling sick as a wet slap came nearer. Then I backed into something, going stiff as a wisp of black smoke was breathed out just over my shoulder. I couldn't move, couldn't breathe as a blade was brought up—catching the light as it shifted towards my neck and then—_

"Snap out of it!"

My eyes snapped open as I panted heavily, covered in sweat and forcing myself to sit up as I brought a hand to my neck. Ayako was hovering over Mai—her shouting having been what woke me—and as Mai began to settle down once more, Ayako spotted me and frowned.

"Yuu? Are you all right?"

I couldn't respond, having to get up and rush to the bathroom to vomit once more as memory of the nightmare and the scent of blood mixed with the smoke in the air. She pounded on the door in concern, but I didn't want to be in the bathroom for any longer than I needed after the dream. I was out a moment later and Ayako began to fuss over how pale I was and if I was possibly sick, but I brushed her off and simply stepped out and back to the main area of the base. I wasn't going to be sleeping anytime soon after that and I knew there would be someone there. Sure enough, I entered the base and found Lin typing away on his computer. He spotted me and paused, eyeing me silently, but I simply moved to sit on the ground up against the wall and wrapped a thin blanket around me—him choosing to return to his work.

It wouldn't be the first time I'd done something like this and Lin had grown used to it after a bit of time. He never questioned me or told me to go, just accepted that I didn't want to be alone at the moment and wanted to be left to my own devices. It was a big part of the reason why Naru often set us up to work together. Despite Lin's hatred of the Japanese, we had a mutual agreement to leave the other be and get along, so long as work got done and no personal questions were asked. Which is why I was able to spend the rest of the night and early morning sitting quietly in the base until the others started to wake and I could start up the morning coffee. No one realized I'd been staying in the main room and had just assumed I'd been the first up—which again, wasn't uncommon. They all knew about my sleeping issues on cases. So, once we were all ready, Naru split us off again to work on more measuring of the house for our personal blueprints.

Mai, Yasuhara, Bou-san, and John went to double check measurements for more of the house while Ayako and Masako checked up on the equipment; leaving Lin, Naru and myself in the base working on the actual blueprints. Thankfully, I was able to keep the cloth off my face while working so long as the window was open and available for my breaks, but my headache was growing worse and the medication I was taking for my cold was having little effect. Needless to say, I was more than grateful when we'd finished with the blueprint of the previous day's data and completed it by dinner time with the new data.

"Lin, how many rooms are there?" Naru asked as we gathered to look it over.

"Including the attic, 106."

Mai was stunned. "One hun—That many!"

Naru though eyed the blueprint and gestured to the bold outer line. "What's this line?"

"That's the perimeter of the building."

Naru eyed Mai. "It doesn't match at all, does it?"

"I don't care what it says, we measured it properly!" She huffed.

"In addition, there's too much empty space between rooms."

"So? Don't blame us for the measurements! Could the measuring tape be inaccurate?"

Yasuhara cut in then, before the two could become too heated. "But we actually double-checked the results several times. So maybe there are secret rooms?"

Naru glanced at me, but I kept my gaze turned away, not wanting to give away anything I knew.

"This is a troubling possibility. Let's verify the measurements again tomorrow."

Mai wasn't pleased, but it was time for us to go enjoy our evening meal, so we all headed into the dining room and made idle chatter until Igarashi stepped quietly into the room and got our attention.

"Excuse me, are you Shibuya-san?" The elder woman asked Yasuhara, who had forgotten his persona for a moment before remembering and whipping around.

"Uh, yes!"

"I'm sorry. You're in the middle of dinner. Is it all right if I interrupt?"

"Please do."

The woman nodded slightly. "Well, actually, I have a favor to ask and you don't appear to be shady like certain other mediums. I'd like to conduct a séance tonight and I'm hoping you and the others would assist me if you can, Shibuya-san."

"Ah, okay. I see. Uh…" Yasuhara lucked out because Naru and Lin stepped in just then. "Narumi-kun."

"Yes?" Naru responded immediately as many of us at the table struggled to stifle our laughter.

"Igarashi-sensei was inquiring about holding a séance tonight. I'd like to participate, but what do you think?"

Naru looked down before looking to me, which made me stiffen. A séance was bad for me in every possible way, but both Naru and I knew that it was something that could—and would—prove beneficial. _The risk of my getting possessed goes up, but maybe it doesn't if we're not the ones doing it? I'm not sure. I can't skip out on it either, I don't think. Naru might actually_ want _me there just in case I get something more than the others too. Damn. I really don't want to be here._

"I see," Naru mused, probably easily reading the slight shifts of unease in my expression. "I would like to participate too, however, we can only arrange a small séance tonight."

"Then, would 9 o'clock in the next room be okay?"

Yasuhara nodded to Igarashi. "Yes, that would be fine."

After dinner, I was correct in assuming that Naru wasn't about to let me sit out the séance and we all went to join the others as they set things up.

"Yuu, stay by myself and Bou-san should anything happen," he ordered, and I begrudgingly did as he asked after the group had gone to get our night-vision camera for the séance—Minami having been ill prepared for the dim light.

Once everyone was settled—Minami, the fake Davis and Igarashi's assistant joining Yasuhara at the table—Igarashi began the séance.

"Please take a deep breath and call upon the spirits. The spirits living in this mansion. To those living in this mansion, please possess this woman's hand and reveal your souls. I implore you to reveal yourself. Please let us hear what is in your souls. If you hear my voice, please reveal yourself."

She went on chanting for a while and the entire time, I was tense, feeling the unease in the room growing as the smoke shifted and swirled to her words. Mai looked about ready to fall asleep when nothing occurred for a long while, but Masako and I both jerked upon feeling the atmosphere change. The assistant began scribbling on paper madly and the walls banged, and furniture clattered. My focus was less on the rapping sounds though and more on the suffocating feeling I was experiencing as the smoke grew thicker and even my cloth mask was unable to keep the nauseating scent of blood from consuming the air in my lungs.

I clutched at my throat, doubling over and pulling the cloth from my face in a desperate attempt to find some sort of clean air to breathe in, but it wasn't working. I felt Naru's hand on my shoulder just as the candle died and people were shouting for us to keep quiet and not move. Then, I could feel him. He was there, hovering just out of sight. Mai shouted as though she knew he'd been there, but I doubted she could see him as clearly as I was.

The smoke shifted and swirled around him, but never touching him, as though it feared any contact with his wrinkled skin would cause the spirits further pain. He oozed blood as his wet feet slapped across the floor, closer and closer. Wide crazed eyes and a yellow toothed grin settled on my form as I shuddered and quaked, taking a step back only to hit a wall. Someone was trying to talk to me, snap me out of it, but I didn't dare shift my focus from the demon in front of me as he edged ever closer. My breath hitched in my throat as I reached back and desperately tried to cling to the wall, fear encompassing me that was partially my own.

"H-H-Help," I choked out, not feeling myself do so.

He was standing right in front of me now as I shook, and he reached out, grabbing at my wrist and sending a fiery pain through my arm. I wanted to cry out in pain, but another hand reached up and grabbed my throat, choking any scream that had been about to escape me as my airway was cut off. His breath brushed across my face, making me want to vomit before his head shifted and moved towards my neck. My heart raced in my ears as his teeth brushed against my skin, only for the light to suddenly turn on and the creature vanished.

Naru had turned the lights on and ended the séance, kneeling down to pick up one of the many scattered papers that now had the word "help" scrawled on it.

"We definitely invoked spirits," he muttered, but I couldn't focus.

My ears were ringing, heart racing, arm, and throat throbbing with a burning pain that wasn't really being noticed in my shock. I felt sick but was too petrified to move. There was only one paper that read anything different from the others, reading "I don't want to die."

"Why was only this paper written in red?"

My stomach finally couldn't bare it any longer and I covered my mouth, rushing for the nearest trash bin. A miniscule part of me felt ashamed for being sick in front of everyone, but Mai was quickly at my side and rubbing my back in concern until I stopped.

"Yuu?"

I shook near violently as I saw Naru's shoes approach, unable to look at him. "I-I can't. I can't. I-I-I c-can't."

Mai moved aside as he knelt down beside me and placed a hand on my shoulder, making me tense.

"I know… but you will, won't you?"

I hated how right he was and I clung to him desperately, unable to stop myself with how terrified I suddenly was about this whole case. Pride didn't matter to me at that moment. I didn't care that I was suddenly having a mental break in front of everyone, because I was terrified and if I was this rattled by things, then they could all be sure that whatever was going on here was _not_ good.

* * *

The SPR and others were uneasy after what had happened in the séance room and were giving Yuu quiet looks. She pointedly ignored them, still in a daze after what happened and sitting under a blanket up against the wall without any sign of even knowing there were others in the room. Naru had attempted to send her to bed, but she'd stubbornly refused, though not as enthusiastically as she normally would have. So, he had instead allowed her to rest wherever she pleased after treated medically for the bruising on her neck and the angry red burns on her wrist. He wasn't sure what had happened and Yuu wasn't about to just spill either in her state, but whatever happened wasn't good. The mere fact that a spirit was able to touch Yuu with the charms already in place meant they were dealing with something far more powerful than they thought. He was keeping quiet about this fact for right now, but he knew he would have to keep an eye on Yuu much more closely. _And potentially keep her out of the more dangerous aspects of this case. She won't be pleased, but I should honestly send her home. Her stubbornness is the only reason she's still here now. That and… I need her here._ He pushed the thought out of his head for now and focused on Lin as they watched the tape that had been recording the séance.

"About the same time the rapping sounds began, the temperature started dropping. Beginning near the ceiling, it gradually and eventually dropped three degrees across the entire room. It dropped five degrees nearer the camera, however."

Lin had also been informed of the circumstances concerning Yuu and Naru knew that she had been standing the closest to the camera. The temperature drop wasn't a surprise.

"What did it feel like?" Igarashi questioned her assistant, who had been the one possessed long enough to write all the messages on paper.

"Well, it seemed to drag my arm around. It felt as if only magic could move it."

"They were scared."

All eyes shifted to Yuu, who didn't look up from the slightly quivering cup of tea in her hands.

"They had to be quick. They had to tell us before he realized what they were doing."

Naru stood straight. "Who?"

Yuu opened her mouth but grimaced.

"Before _who_ realized, Yuu?"

Yuu shook her head, unable to say anything concerning the man she was talking about and Naru begrudgingly let it go for now. _I'll have to ask John to do another cleansing with her. She might have channeled the spirit we contacted and remnants of it are sticking around, much like the last case._ He turned his gaze back to the camera feed and watched as Lin played through it until he noticed something.

"Stop. Go back 53 seconds and then go frame by frame."

The group watched as one of the blank papers that were fluttering off the table suddenly had "I don't want to die" appear on it before it touched the ground.

"Whoa…"

"There was nothing written there just one frame before," they breathed out in stunned amazement before Mai suddenly called out; Masako falling into her arms.

"Masako!"

"I'm sorry. May I go back to my room? I'm feeling nauseous," Masako asked and Naru nodded as Mai offered to take her.

"Matsuzaki-san, please go with them. Yuu, you should go as well. At least try to get some rest."

Yuu surprisingly stood and followed them out as they all returned to the girl's room where they prepared to head to bed for the day. Masako though explained her sudden bout of nausea.

"The scent of blood?"

"Yes. Is everyone else all right? I can sense that smell infused throughout my entire body. I felt like vomiting in the séance room and afterward." Masako looked to Yuu as she sat slumped over on the edge of her own bed; a towel covering her dripping wet hair from the shower she'd just taken. "I believe you smelled it too, Yuu, considering your reaction."

Yuu glanced up and nodded slowly. "I'm having a worse reaction to the house than all the others, yourself included, unfortunately."

Mai frowned, trying to figure things out if only to help her friends. "Did you smell it when the rapping sound started?"

"Hm? No. It was after."

"Then it was probably the scent of the spirits. Hey, wasn't there a strange scent during our case with Yasuhara-san also? What form did the spirit take here? Did you see it?"

"Yes, but only a flickering glimpse, so I didn't see it well. Actually, I was distracted by the scent of blood."

"I see. Hm."

"Mai-san?"

"Yes?"

"How are you feeling?"

"W-Why are you asking me a question like that?" Mai questioned in shock.

"I'm just showing you proper respect."

"Resp—for me?"

"Since it was only you who saw the same visions I did on our last case along with Yuu."

"Yes, but not on this case. I haven't seen any this time."

"That's right. So, you're probably not in any danger like last time. Though, Yuu…"

They both looked to Yuu who was still pale from before.

"Just h-how bad is it, Yuu?" Mai asked hesitantly.

"I… don't want to talk about it."

"But if it could help with the case, then—"

Masako held out a hand to stop her, eyeing Yuu in apparent concern. "You saw it, didn't you? The person, the spirit causing the disappearances."

Yuu didn't respond, but the look on her face was answer enough.

"You mentioned him in the other room. You said he might realize what they were doing by contacting us for help and you were afraid."

"He took them. H-He has them and he… he's not human. He never was."

Masako got up from the bed and pushed Mai slightly behind her, eyeing Yuu with a stern gaze.

"You're not Yuu, are you?"

Yuu just quivered on the bed, holding her head in her hands and staring unseeingly at the ground. "H-He's going to take us all a-and he's going to kill us. A-All for his sick little experiment."

"Get out of Yuu right now. You don't belong here," Masako demanded, before softening her tone. "I'm sorry, but you're already… You're dead."

Mai looked between the two anxiously, not even realizing that Yuu might have been possessed once more and silently wondering how Masako figured it out, as well as if Yuu was okay. Ayako stepped out of the shower then, giving a look at the scene and furrowing her brows.

"What's going on? I thought you were all getting along, but—"

"Go get John," Masako ordered swiftly. "And Naru and the others. Yuu has been possessed again."

Ayako nodded, looking concerned as she kept as far from Yuu as she could and hurried out to get the others.

"I-Is she okay?" Mai asked, and Masako hesitated.

"Possession can be very draining and Yuu might not have recovered entirely from the last time. She shouldn't be here. Any barriers she had before the dog incident are still trying to recover, so she is able to be possessed more easily right now. And with the spirits in this house being as active as they are… The only thing I can do is try to keep her talking. Try to get information." Masako took a small step towards Yuu. "Who are you? How did you end up here?"

"I can't… I-I don't…"

Yuu brought a hand to her head and Masako began to frown.

"Yuu is fighting back. And the spirit is growing more confused. This could prove problematic."

"What do you mean? Will Yuu be okay? Yuu? Yuu, are you in there? You have to be!"

"M-Mai…"

"Yuu!"

Masako stopped Mai from rushing forward though, giving her a stern look. "Mai, you need to stop! Trying to force a soul out of one's body isn't easy, and it could cause damage to both of them if they're not careful. We need to wait for—"

The door was slammed open then, making them all jump as Naru and the others burst in in concern.

"John! Now!"

John held up a cross and began to read the first passage of John from the Bible before Yuu slumped over and nearly fell off the bed, had it not been for Naru quickly grabbing her. He laid her down and she groaned, bringing a hand to her head and wearily looking up at him and the others in apparent confusion. Then understanding dawned on her and she groaned.

"Possessed again? Christ, I'm a damn magnet."

Naru let out a sigh of relief, knowing that her joking around was sure fire proof that she was back in her right mind once more.

"At least you are fine now. How far back did this happen?"

Yuu furrowed her brows, trying to remember the last thing she could before it got foggy.

"The… The séance. I remember walking in the room but then…" She grimaced, dragging a hand down her face. "Damn, headache."

Naru frowned. "You've got a headache as well?"

"What do you want from me? My life history?" Yuu scoffed, sitting up with a slight wobble almost just to piss him off. "I can't sleep, so of course I have a headache. Add the smoke and being possessed and I'm about ripe to topple over."

"You need to get some sleep then," he urged, making to push her back down onto the sheets, but she stubbornly refused.

"What part of I _can't_ don't you understand?" She snapped.

"I can see about getting sleeping droughts if you need," he gave in; wanting to rather have her sleeping properly on this case and staying asleep later in the day than risking her health by not sleeping at all.

"Won't work. I've tried," she waved off and Naru frowned, sensing something off about that.

 _How long has she not been able to sleep? We've only known about this case for a week. She's definitely hiding something else, but I doubt she'll tell me here._

"Take some anyway. I won't take 'no' for an answer," he ordered, standing up. "And you're not to go anywhere without Lin, Ayako, John or Bou-san with you while you're under this roof."

"Naru, I can—"

"No!" He finally snapped, eyes steely. "I can't have this happen again, Yuu. Either do as I say or I'm sending you home."

Half the group expected him to do just that after what had happened anyway, but this was him giving her the choice. If she truly didn't want to be here, she would go now. Otherwise, she would need to follow his rules if she wanted to stay. Either way, it was her choice. And at the end of it all, she chose to stay.

* * *

The next morning, I was sicker than before after a nightmare of the staggering, death of a man searching and wandering the halls, leaving bloody food prints and the wet slapping sound of feet echoing in my ears. I spent the first twenty minutes vomiting in the restroom before heading into the base to curl up on the floor and attempt to nap until the others woke up. It was still early, and Lin was the only one around, but when my eyes slipped closed, I couldn't help but gasp awake once more.

"Yuu? You all right?" Yasuhara asked as I clutched at my throat.

 _No… No, no, no. I forgot. How could I forget? Suzuki was… is…_ I pushed myself up off the floor and went for the door, but Lin hastily grabbed my arm with a frown.

"You're not to leave on your own, Yuu."

"You don't understand, Lin. I have to—"

The door was opened then and Naru entered, taking note of the situation and eyeing me.

"What's going on?"

"She was trying to leave," Lin stated simply as I pulled my arm from his grip with a frown.

"Why? We had an agreement, Yuu," Naru said sternly, though sensing something was wrong. "Unless there's something else you'd like to tell me that might explain your sudden need to run off."

I didn't want to say anything, but this was the one case where I knew everything was being thrown out the window. I couldn't stay silent about my foreknowledge when it may help keep people from dying.

"He took her."

Naru frowned. "Who?"

"Igarashi-sensei's assistant. She's missing," I muttered, dragging a hand down my face as my headache flared.

"I haven't heard anything about that," Bou-san said, having entered with John and Yasuhara at some point during my nap.

Naru waved him off, focusing on me as I sank into a chair than Lin brought over; kneeling in front of me and eyeing me. "And you're sure about this?"

I shot him a dirty look. "No, I'm joking. You honestly think I'd joke about someone going missing?"

He cracked a small smile at that but became serious once more. "So, you have dreams like Mai then. When were you going to tell us about that?"

I groaned. "It's Mai's thing and having visions of the future isn't exactly a great thing to have, you know. The last thing I want is to become your stupid Magic Eight Ball and end up being blamed for shit that hasn't happened yet, just because I know about it and do nothing."

"Except you _do_ do something about it," he replied, standing up. "Like the numerous bookshelves you always happen to stop falling on people in our various cases, as well as the multiple times you happen to hang around Mai to keep her out of trouble."

"You knew about this?" Bou-san questioned in surprise and Naru shrugged.

"I had my suspicions. For now, though, Lin and I will check over the tapes from last night. Yasuhara-san, I'm sure Igarashi-sensei will show up soon, so you're in charge of keeping her calm. Bou-san, I'll have you start searching nearby areas until the others show up and can join you. Yuu, take some medicine before your fever gets too high and start looking over the map for errors and possible entryways that could lead into the extra spaces unaccounted for."

I jerked at his words. "Y-You knew I was—"

"Sick? Yes," he shot me an amused look at my shock. "With you having been so easily possessed again, it was fairly obvious that you are still dealing with the side effects. Add that to how poorly you have looked since arriving, when you are usually able to tolerate higher levels of spiritual issues, and my assumption that you were ill makes perfect sense. You didn't honestly think I wouldn't notice, did you?"

"Pompous ass," I murmured under my breath, getting up and grabbing my pack on the ground nearby to take out my bottle of water and medication.

"Also," he continued, making me flinch in preparation for a scolding at calling him names. "I would like it if you were to inform me of such problems you're dealing with in the future; in regard to both your illnesses and abilities." He looked at me from over his shoulder. "Despite your potential as a latent psychic, don't expect me to believe everything you say without evidence."

As rude as it sounded, I got some comfort from those words. _Damn it, Naru._ I cracked a small smile as I picked up the blueprints of the mansion we'd made. _Can't you just say you won't rely on my future knowledge in a nice way?_

* * *

Once the others joined in the search, things didn't go much better and I felt terrible every time I saw the distraught Igarashi-sensei. _I'd go off and find Suzuki if I could or at least point them in the right direction, but this place is a maze and the few landmarks I remember won't help us find where she's being kept. I'm not allowed to go off anywhere without Bou-san, John, Ayako or Lin either._ _I'm… pretty useless this time around, aren't I?_ I sighed heavily and rubbed at my eyes before Naru spoke up.

"Yuu, go with Bou-san and the others to work on measurements again and let us know if there's anything you sense that's out of the ordinary."

"Yes, boss," I muttered, though I felt glad to be out of the base for a while.

I'd been cooped up in there ever since the séance, though partially of my own will since the air there was clearer than the rest of the mansion we'd been in. I got the feeling Naru knew that though and that was a part of the reason why he was sending me off to do work again now. What I didn't appreciate was the discussion that was going on between Bou-san, Mai and Yasuhara as we went about measuring the rooms.

"Where could she have vanished to?"

"Suzuki-san?"

Yasuhara nodded as I held my flashlight and tried to work on the paperwork I was filling out. "Nothing was recorded on last night's tapes. There's no sign of her within our search radius either."

"If there really is a secret room here, we'll find it. I'm sure it will turn up in our search," Bou-san replied, determined.

"How many meters?" I cut in, trying to stay out of the conversation.

"3.21 meters."

I noted the number as John continued the conversation.

"Unless she really did disappear of her own accord. If she vanished against her will…"

"Yuu seems to think she did," Bou-san brought up and I winced.

"Don't drag me into this."

Mai saw my unease and drifted the conversation away from me. "But didn't two other people disappear here before? So, couldn't this be the work of spirits as we suspected?"

"This spirit asked for help. If the three vanishings are the work of the spirit, wouldn't it be odd if the people who disappeared were the same ones who answered the pleas for help?"

"Weren't the ones who disappeared also the ones who were trying to help those who disappeared earlier?"

"That's right."

John cut in. "Then, perhaps those of us helping to find Suzuki-san might disappear too? We did see some strange words at last night's séance."

"Or maybe…" Yasuhara put his flashlight under his face to appear creepier. "It was Suzuki-san herself and not the spirit who wrote those words last night and she fled to avoid being exposed."

"But how about the writing in blood and the rapping sounds?" Mai challenged.

"That's right. Maybe when Suzuki-san wrote those words, the real spirit got angry at her and wrote the same words in blood."

"The blood writing must have some meaning," Bou-san hummed.

"Yes, there is a remote possibility that it was a trick."

" _Or_ ," I snapped, patience wearing thin with how thick the so-called professionals were being. "Perhaps the spirits of people who disappeared were crying out for help and the spirit of the person who took them wrote the words in blood?"

Bou-san hit his fist into his palm. "Oh!"

I rolled my eyes. "Honestly, we've dealt with enough cases by now that I thought you all would expect the possibility of there being more than one spirit a bit sooner."

Bou-san chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head just as there was a cry of pain from John.

"John!" Mai ran over to him as he stumbled. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"Yeah. The floor's uneven here."

Our flashlights were aimed at the ground where a handle was carved into the wood.

"Is it a door?"

"Or a passageway?"

"Shall we open it?"

I sighed. "I'll mark it on the notes, but we'll have to get measurements of where it is in the room and whatever room is under it."

"All you think about now is work, huh?" Bou-san sighed, reaching for the handle. "You're worse than Naru."

"Sooner we're out of this creepy place the better," I grumbled. " _You're_ not the one constantly being choked by ghost fumes and possessed."

"Good point."

The door was opened and everyone but myself—thank you bandana—began to cough at the musty smell that came from within.

"Well, there _is_ a room down here," Bou-san remarked, seeing the ladder leading down.

"No way. A secret room?"

"I'll let you guys do a quick search," I muttered, eyeing the dark hole precariously. "Mai can stay up here with me and John to measure out where it is, then John can go down with you to measure whatever room is there."

"Yes, _boss_ ," Bou-san chuckled, and I flushed.

"I was just saying! If you have a better plan that doesn't involve me or ghost magnet Mai, then I'm all ears."

The group chuckled and did as I suggested anyway before we headed back to base with the lab coat Bou-san had found. Needless to say, he wasn't the only one to see how I kept my distance once he had it and Mai offered to go and report to Naru what we'd found while I took a moment to collect myself and have a calming cup of tea. _The damn thing is covered in black smoke. Worse than the desk in the last case. Hell, even the damn dog was cleaner than this._ I had somehow started to doze off as they discussed it and the money found in the pocket, snapping out of it when my teacup was slid out of my hand.

"Hm? Naru?" I muttered, rubbing at my eyes with a small groan of complaint.

My neck ached from falling asleep in the chair.

"It's time for dinner and you need to eat to keep your strength."

"Yes, mother."

He sighed heavily, but we both headed out to the dining room as I let out a yawn. "How long were you asleep for?"

"Mm, when we brought in the coat. It was covered in black if you want to know. Worse than the dog case. I didn't want to deal with it. Are the others already there?"

He hummed. "Dinner started a while ago. We will be the last to get some while Lin watches the base."

I coughed but nodded. "R-Right. Is it okay if I take some back with me? The base is tolerable, but the rest of this house is…" I cleared my throat with a wince. "…not."

"I'm sure that can be arranged."

We settled into silence and I ground my knuckles on my temples.

"Your headache?" He questioned, and I nodded.

"Just everything piling up, I guess."

"You can still go home."

"No," I stated sternly, shooting him a look. "I go home, and more people could get hurt."

"You're not responsible for their decisions."

"But I _am_ responsible for preventing their destruction by things out of their control. That includes the members of SPR."

Naru's eyes narrowed and we stopped in the hall. "Is that a hint?"

I pursed my lips, realizing my error a moment too late.

"Who?"

I remained silent and he grabbed my wrists, making me wince. _My wrist is tender. The hell—When Vlad grabbed me?_

"Yuu, this is vital. Someone might _die_ and you're just going to keep quiet?"

"This is why I didn't mention my foreknowledge," I bit out, silently wondering why I thought he'd be any different.

He stiffened, before relaxing, letting me go as I cradled my wrist. "You're right. I'm sorry."

 _What's his game?_ "You're… concerned about Mai."

His gaze flicked to me and I felt my heart sink for some reason. _Why? Why does that bother me? I'm only staying here because of Mai. Of course, he's worried about her._ I'm _worried about her. Yet…_

"I'm concerned about _you_."

My mind fizzled to a halt. "W-What?"

He rolled his eyes. "You're too reckless. You're already sick and yet you insist on staying here to protect others when you are hardly in shape to protect yourself. _And_ you're blaming yourself for things that haven't even happened yet. May _not_ happen ever."

"Y-Yeah, but—"

His hand covered my mouth and he leaned forward, glaring at me as I tried to hold back the red tint slowly creeping it'd way up my face. "No buts. I'm letting you stay here for now, but any more reckless actions from you and I'll make _sure_ you head home. Okay?"

I slowly nodded, and he released me and swiftly turned back around.

"Come on. We'll grab something quick and return to see if Lin figured out the measurement problems."

"R-Right."

* * *

Naru was concerned. More than he felt he should be for the woman resting on a couch they'd moved into the base. Things had been moving along at a slow pace and after the second person had vanished, the toll on Yuu had only gotten worse. As it was, she had been resting on the couch through the night and most of the morning, doped up on sleeping pills that—combined with her ill health—finally had her quiet long enough for adequate rest. _She should be home._ He repeated to himself, trying to ignore the lump in his throat at the thought of not having her around. _Would she truly be better off at home? If what she said is true… she'd be alone._ He pushed the thought aside as he once again glanced at the picture they'd found in another secret room. _Urado…_

* * *

I woke up, eyes blinking open to the ceiling of the room being shared by the other girls and I immediately wished I was back asleep. _My head… God, why does my head hurt so much?_ I tried to groan and roll over, but I couldn't move, and an icy chill went through me. _No… No, no, no, no, no. Not now. Please. I-I'm not prepared for this. I-I could never prepare myself for this!_ I fought against the invisible bindings holding me down and tried to look over at Mai in the bed beside me. _Mai! Mai, please! I-I want you to be okay, but if you can help me—_ Mai shifted and rolled over, completely asleep and my heart sank. _W-What? Why isn't she—No. Did I-I change this? Did Vlad's interest in me change who is going to be taken? Oh, God. Oh, God, please._ Tears were already springing forth in my eyes as two tall men entered the room and grabbed me by the arms to haul me out.

 _Shit, shit, shit!_ My breath was coming out in short gasps and I felt like I couldn't breathe with all the black, inky smoke floating around. The men were dripping in it and it made my stomach twist and my skin burn where they held me. _I'm going to die. I'm going to die. H-He's going to kill me._ I was brought into the sitting room where a fire crackled in the fireplace; a nearly empty glass of something red sitting on the end table. From there, I was brought into the next area, being led through a hedge maze of sorts as I tried to desperately think of something I could do to get out of this. _I-I'm a battery, right? F-Full of energy. I-I-I should be able to utilize it somehow. C-Can I use it as a blast? Get them off me? Shock myself into waking up? Call someone? Mai or Naru?_

I was at the next door already and when it opened, I choked and gasped, eyes watering at the heavy stench of blood that poured out of it. _Please, please, please! M-Mai! Mai! Naru! S-Someone!_ I sobbed, feeling more scared than I'd ever been as I was brought up some stairs and into the room where I'd be drained of blood for the satisfaction of a crazed old man. Blood covered the pot, table, and bath in the tiled room looking very much like the inky black smoke that dripped off everything I encountered here. A cloth was ripped off me and I stood in a white kimono, stepping in a puddle of blood at my feet before hands wrapped tightly around my hair. I let out a cry of pain as I was dragged back towards the table, fighting as best I could now that my limbs could move.

They were still heavy though, weighed down with fatigue or drugs; I couldn't tell. Strong hands forced me onto the table even as I kicked and scratched and bit, throwing every ounce of strength that I could into resisting what was about to happen. It was useless though as I was tied down, head tipping back off the edge of the table and allowing blood to slide down the back of my neck. The angle also gave me the ability to see the two men putting on rubber gloves and one arming himself with a large blade. _No, no, no. Please! T-This is a dream! I-It has to be! I-I know it is! None of it is real! I-It can't be! I-I don't want to die! I don't want to die! Naru! Naru!_ A hand pulled my hair, drawing my head further back to expose my neck as I sobbed and clenched my eyes shut. I swore I could smell the decomposing flesh of _him_ just as the blade pierced my flesh.

* * *

I was slapped awake, stunned and looking shakily up at Masako, Mai and Ayako as they hovered over me in obvious concern. I hadn't known I'd screamed and at the moment, it felt like I could barely breathe. _Dream… I-It was a dream._ Mai grabbed a hold of my hand and I jerked away, sitting semi-upright with wide eyes of fear as she murmured my name.

"Y-Yuu? What happened? What's wrong? You were…"

Knocks pounded on the door and I jolted again, whipping to it and tensing as it was opened. For a moment, I thought I saw the two men in coats from my nightmare. Then, they spoke, and my mind cleared as I recognized Bou-san, John, and Yasuhara.

"What was it? Yuu?"

"A-A-A dream," I breathed out, shaking and clenching a fist around my thick blanket.

My mind was still cloudy. All I could think and feel was the blood pouring down my neck, the blade against my throat, the hand wrapped around my hair and pulling me towards that bloody table—

"Was this dream… different?" Mai asked cautiously, drawing me away from my thoughts. "I… I remember you being in some of my dreams before. Was this… Was this like mine?"

I nodded slowly, trying to speak past the lump in my throat. "I-I was… Paralyzed. Two men took me to a-a tiled room. There was… blood everywhere. I was tied down a-and… a knife was…" I couldn't go past that point, throat tightening and a hand reaching up for my throat.

A hand landed on my head and I hastily pulled away with wide eyes, again thinking it was one of the men about to haul me away, but Bou-san just slowly pulled his hand back with a small smile.

"That's okay. You can stop. It's a horrible thing to remember."

I lowered my head with a small nod.

"I'm sorry."

I looked up as tears began to pool in Mai's eyes.

"I-I thought… I heard you. I-In my sleep. I thought I imagined it, b-but…"

"You… heard me?" I questioned. _I-It worked?_

She nodded. "I-I should have done something. I should have—"

"No!" I said loudly, reaching out and grabbing her arms. "No. Don't you _ever!_ T-They would have gotten you." My voice cracked. "I-If they'd gotten you, I-I…"

She looked shocked, even more so when the door burst open and Naru stood there with Lin behind him, both looking rather panicked and frazzled.

"Yuu…" Naru breathed out, looking slightly relieved but seeing that I was currently a mess.

 _H-He heard too. He heard me too._ The tears came fast now, and I released Mai to bring my hands up to my eyes in a vain attempt to hide them and my quivering lips.

"Yuu, could you come to the base to inform me of what happened?" He asked, voice surprisingly calm and I nodded, slowly climbing out of my bed as Mai started to protest.

"Naru, she just—"

"I-I'm fine, Mai," I silenced her. "I-I just n-need a minute. Please."

She hesitated but nodded and backed down as Naru pulled a hand around my shoulders and lightly led me from the room. Once I was back at the base, I was seated on the couch and covered with a thick blanket, handed a hot cup of tea by Naru before he sat across from me. He knew I needed a moment of silence and we just sat silently for a few minutes as he allowed me to collect myself as best I could. Not to be rude to the others but being crowded by them was something I couldn't handle currently.

"You called for me."

I glanced briefly up at Naru, noticing his rumbled clothes that had been hastily thrown on and his messy bedhead. "Y-Yes. I… hadn't thought I could, but… I-I couldn't think of anything. I just wanted to wake _up_ …" I winced when my voice cracked, feeling my hands start to quiver once more before Naru's hand covered mine to stop me from spilling my tea.

At least, that's what I told myself he was doing.

"I need you to tell me what happened."

I swallowed thickly but somehow managed to repeat what I'd told the others with a little more detail—taking breaks when I needed to calm down.

"Did you know this was going to happen?"

I resisted a cringe, slowly nodded. "Y-Yes, but… it changed."

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I… can't see my own future. What I see is… is what would have happened if I… wasn't here," I admitted, trying to find a way to explain it without sounding like a lunatic.

"Who would it have happened to then?" He said, apparently accepting what I'd said quite easily, which bothered me slightly.

"…Mai."

His jaw tightened, revealing that he was clenching his teeth before he relaxed—sitting back in his chair in thought.

"You… Why do you believe me? About… About my foreknowledge?" I asked, and his dark eyes shifted to mine.

"Why would you lie?" He countered, getting up and grabbing a small pharmacy bag, holding it out to me. "Believe it or not, but I _do_ trust you, Yuu. Now, take your medicine and try to go back to sleep."

I looked at him in surprise, taking the bag of brand new medication. "Here? A-And how did you—"

"Madoka and Lin got it for you at my request, and yes, here. Lin and I will be joining you, for now, should any more instances occur this evening. You may not have noticed it in your apparent shock, but your fever has gone up and you've yet to remove the blanket despite the warm temperature in this room."

He was right. I hadn't noticed that I was still shivering and sweating under the thick blanket. It bothered me that he suddenly paid this much attention to me, but the more I thought about it, the more I remembered the little things he seemed to pick up on that the others didn't. _Like how I was sick in the first place._ Slowly, I nodded and set my tea cup down, sinking into the couch as Naru pulled out a small book to read.

"I'm sorry," I murmured, turning to face the back of the couch and not him.

Didn't stop the feeling of his eyes on my back though.

"I do believe this is the point where you _thank_ me, not apologize for something that—as you said—is out of your control."

I couldn't help the smallest of smiles that appeared on my face. "Thanks, Naru."

* * *

When I woke up again, it was late in the afternoon the next day and right in the middle of an argument between Naru and Lin.

"I'm not underestimating the situation. I'm considering the possibility of threats here," Lin said, voice tight. "So, please send someone back. We can't leave you with Yuu, who is equally incapable of protecting you and herself. If there's something you think we could learn from you, why don't you 'teach' us? Please, at least consider your parents' feelings."

"Lin."

"Did you forget you said you were one of 17 children?"

"If you're not satisfied with my leadership, feel free to leave," Naru snapped.

"Do we have a misunderstanding here? Of course, I may leave."

"It bothers me that you've forgotten. I am not your chaperone."

"Because I'm just here to observe you."

I sighed heavily. "I'll go."

"No," Naru said quickly, glaring at me.

"What? You've been trying to get me to leave for ages, but now that I've finally decided, you won't let me?" I argued.

"You are the closest source of information as to what is going on at the moment. You're not allowed to leave."

I grit my teeth, ready to argue further, but Yasuhara raised his hand.

"I'll leave. If I do that, there should be no problems. Isn't a president supposed to assign responsibility to his employees and then leave so he doesn't become a nuisance? I'll assist Mori-san in Suwa City."

It was agreed upon and Yasuhara soon left. As evening fell though, and discussions were brought up about the odd shaping of the mansion we were in, I could feel myself getting more and more jittery. I hadn't been paying attention to what was being said. My body felt cold, mind fogged like the inky blackness filtering into the room. Then, I latched onto Yasuhara's voice. _When did he and Mori-san come in? I-I can't… remember…_

"After that, Kaneyuki-san apparently lived here, but he was accompanied by two manservants."

 _Those men… They took me._

"That's who they were. They were old gardeners who the grandfather allowed to go in and out as they pleased. They did everything here at the time. They apparently made a labyrinth out of hedges."

 _The maze… No… Please don't take me there. Don't bring me further in. I-I don't want to die._ My hand gripped my arm tightly, nails digging in.

"The labyrinth supposedly covered the gap between the main wing and a cottage. Whenever the gardeners came here, people experienced strange nauseating feelings. There was a nauseating odor in that cottage, like the one that's always at a graveyard."

 _No… I don't want to hear any more. I don't want to hear this story anymore!_

"Moreover, there were always new faces among the maids who came here… Yuu?"

"Yuu?"

Masako held out a hand to stop the others from coming closer as I quivered, flinching when she placed a hand calmly on my shoulder.

"These people can't come. They can't save you for you have already died," she said, making something click in my mind.

 _My mind? Where…_

"Now, keep going. Don't be afraid, just try going toward the light. You must relax."

My grip loosened on my arm and I felt a heavy breath escape me, sagging slightly. "D-D-Damn… A-Again?"

Masako nodded. "You've been possessed by the spirits living in this house. It's all right. I don't know if they're the ones who disappeared already, but they definitely approached you because of that story Yasuhara was telling. Maybe they're the maids we were just discussing."

"No…" I murmured, feeling slightly sick as I caught the whiff of blood and lightly touched my neck. "I-It was the one from last night. W-Whoever was murdered. They're scared… They c-can't stop thinking about him and…" My grip tightened once more. "T-They're here."

The lights abruptly went out and loud rapping pounded on the walls. I curled up slightly, covering my ears and clenching my eyes shut. _I don't want to see him. I-I can't see him. G-God, please don't let him come near me!_ Already, I could taste the metallic scent in the air and the lingering scent of death that seemed to follow him around. His breath brushed my ear and the nape of my neck before I swung a fist out wildly, it passing right through thin air as the lights came on to reveal the scribbling in blood all over the walls.

I couldn't breathe. My breath was coming out in ragged gasps as my heart pounded in my ears, drowning out everything else. I wasn't sure how long I was having the panic attack, nor when Naru noticed. I nearly swung at him as well, when he came too close, but he pressed on and grabbed my wrists, trying to calm me down.

"—u… Yuu, you need to take deep breaths. Calm down!"

"H-He was here. H-H-He was r-right _here!_ " I half-sobbed, eyes whipping around in search of the black sludge that would let me know if he was still close.

Everything was black though. The walls were black and dripping, everything giving off that smoke that threatened to choke me in my panic. I brought a hand to my throat as I wheezed and choked, and I swore I could feel blood on my fingers.

"Yuu, focus on me. Look at me!"

My eyes went to his, revealing all my fear and the sheer terror I felt.

"Talk to me. Tell me about something. Anything."

"I-I don't—"

"What's his name?"

My breath hitched, but I forced it from my lips. "V-Vlad."

"Urado, Vurado, Vlad," he murmured, it beginning to click in his head. "Like Dracula."

I shakily nodded, trying my best to focus on his voice and not the panic running wildly through me at the mention of _him_. "H-He doesn't want to die."

"That's what the writing on the walls say," Mai breathed out in shock. "T-That was him? I thought…"

"He was here," Naru repeated as I went to clench my fist, but he grabbed my wrist and pulled it from my neck where I'd begun to claw at myself. "You're bleeding. Don't make it worse. Now, what else can you tell me?"

"T-They're dead. All of them. E-Everyone who was taken. He kills them a-and drinks their blood. He t-thinks it'll m-make him immortal."

"Immortal… Are you sure? We can perform a séance—"

"No!" I shouted, wincing back when I realized I had and Naru frowned. "I-I can't handle another one. We need to go. H-He's going to take more people."

"We can't go until we have proof."

I grit my teeth, suddenly wishing he would believe me without proof of anything, but I was still bothered by what I'd experienced. Naru was trying to get me to think logically again. He was trying to calm me down.

"Yuu?"

I pursed my lips and looked at him as calmly as I could. "We need to break down the walls."

* * *

Everything had gotten awkward after that. A wall was broken down, bodies discovered, the fake Davis revealed and every group deciding on leaving for their own safety. I was still twitchy as ever, hands shaking as they fumbled with putting clothes into my duffle bag. It didn't help that Mai kept glancing at me like I was going to fall to pieces at any moment and that I had changed how things were supposed to go so much. _I don't know what'll happen now. Masako is supposed to end up disappearing in the hall, but she doesn't appear to be upset with Mai._ My vision swam suddenly, and I blinked hard, bringing a hand up to rub my eyes as Ayako headed in to take a shower. _Damn. Did my fever go up?_ I shook my head and sat down onto the bed, pulling out a notebook and looking at the sketch I'd done of Vlad's sitting area I'd dreamed. _Just in case._ I felt her look at me again and pinched my eyes shut with a sigh.

"Mai, stop looking at me like that."

"W-What? How did you know I was—"

"Because you've been looking every few seconds," I grumbled. "I'm _fine._ "

Masako scoffed, and I shot her a dirty look.

"You got something to say, midget?"

She whipped around in her annoyance as Mai smacked my arm, but I raised a challenging brow at Masako, knowing that I had achieved what I wanted. She'd been ignoring me and now she was looking right at me. She seemed to realize it too and turned away again, bristling.

"I… do not wish to speak with you."

"Seriously? Why? Because I'm prone to possession and you're probably talking to a dead spirit half the time?"

"Don't patronize me," she grumbled, and I rolled my eyes.

"Right, no, of course. The great all-powerful Masako just doesn't associate with—"

"Why are you the only one Naru addresses with a nickname? And why are you and Mai the only ones he addresses without '-san'?"

I looked over at her, sharing a small look with Mai in confusion as she went on.

"He called Matsuzaki-san and me by our family names. Why do you two deserve special treatment? You're not just employees, are you?"

"Would you rather he addressed us by our family names?" Mai questioned.

"Yes, I would, but… Yuu and Naru bicker like you were very intimate before. Even you, Mai."

I blinked, understanding dawning on me. "So, you're jealous."

She flushed a bright red and Mai chuckled.

"W-What is it now?" Masako stuttered out.

"I-I'm sorry. Masako… you're so cute!" Mai cooed.

"Don't be so rude."

"So, you _are_ jealous?" Mai asked, and Masako quivered.

"You…"

"What else are you jealous of?"

Masako whipped back around as I shook my head, resisting a wince when it ached, getting up off the bed.

"Look. I don't know why you're jealous. He's just messing with me, is all."

"Ah, where are you going?" Mai asked as I moved towards the door. "I'll go with you."

I waved her off. "It's fine. I'm just heading back to base for a second. The air in there is a little better."

"But—"

"Really, Mai. It's fine. It's the middle of the day. Nothing's happened while it's light out and Lin's probably over there. I've got a headache and need to get my medication from the base anyway. I'll be back in ten."

"All right…"

I stepped out and grimaced, pulling up the bandana around my neck to cover my nose and mouth from the black smog. _Ugh, it's gotten worse._ I shivered and headed for the base, ignoring my tense shoulders as best I could. _Just don't think about it. Nearly the—_ And everything went black.

* * *

"Why did you let her go alone?" Naru snapped, resisting the urge to pinch his nose in exasperation as Mai let out a soft apology.

"I'm sorry."

Bou-san and John returned from their search for Yuu empty-handed and Naru frowned.

"I think she must be somewhere in the empty space below us."

 _I should have done more to hold her back._ Mai thought, feeling guilty for Yuu's disappearance. _What do we do? What's happening to Yuu? She was already so upset about the spirit, now she's down there and s-she could be hurt, or worse._ Tears welled up and Bou-san took her face in his hands before she could panic further.

"Everyone's got to keep it together, okay?"

"O-Okay."

"So, where do we start tearing down?" He asked Naru who shoved a map into his hands.

"Anywhere near the empty space. Yasuhara-san, Madoka, please help us," he called to the two who had snuck back into the mansion to help. "Lin, come with me."

"Naru?"

"Find Yuu's things and bring it with you."

"Ah, wait!" Mai called out, holding a notebook out to him. "T-This. I found this on her bed. I-I thought it might be important."

Naru took the book and eye the drawing on the page. "What is it?"

"I-I'm not sure. She doesn't draw much. Well, other than to doodle in her notes," Mai replied, shifting uneasily. "S-She's good at it. I told her so, but she insists that it's terrible and doesn't like showing off. But, I've never seen this room before. I-I think it's one of the rooms in this house. M-Maybe something she dreamed?"

Naru nodded, handing it to Lin for now before making his way out the door. Lin hurried after him, watching him cautiously.

"What are you planning on doing?"

"Get help from a friend," he muttered, confusing Lin further.

"Naru, you can't be thinking about using your abilities to—"

Naru stopped just outside the mansion, eyes flaring angrily. "I will use my abilities to keep my team safe."

Lin pursed his lips. "You mean, to keep _her_ safe."

Naru turned away, stepping out onto the grass and looking around the nearby trees. "I'd do it for any of the others."

"To this extent?" Lin pushed, grabbing his wrist and showing him the crescent-shaped divots in his palms and the cross bracelet he had in his hands.

Naru jerked his hand away, stowing Yuu's bracelet in his pocket for now. "I'm not going to use it yet. It's a last resort."

"Even if you do, she won't be strong enough to help you regain that energy," Lin cautioned. "You need to be more careful about—"

"I _know_."

Lin went quiet for a moment. "…Why her?"

"Why her what?"

"Naru."

Naru sighed, shifting his eyes from the trees for a moment and rubbing at his face. "I don't know. Let's just… not talk about it now, please. We've got things to do."

A bird song came from the trees and Naru lifted his gaze; Lin also doing the same.

"That's the first bird I've heard around here."

Naru nodded. "Animals know where spirits tend to reside and will keep their distance from the darker ones, unless…" He held out his hand and a shimmer flew out from the trees to land on it. "…they're protecting someone."

The small brown sparrow ruffled its feathers and used its beak to pluck at Naru's sleeve anxiously. Lin, however, stared at it in confusion.

"Is that a… shiki?"

"It's Yuu's," Naru confirmed, surprising Lin. "She's shown it to me before. It seems to typically follow her around. I haven't seen it do much as far as protecting her, but it has risked itself on at least one occasion. It may be able to help us find her."

"But it hasn't been with her thus far."

"Because of whatever is in the house. I'm hoping that Yuu being in danger will change its mind," Naru said, staring at the bird as it eyed the mansion and shifted from foot to foot. He reached out and brushed a finger over its head, drawing its eye-less gaze to him. "We need to find her. Can you help us?"

The bird looked at him for a moment before unfolding its wings and taking off towards the house. Naru cracked a smile and took off after it as Lin sighed and hurried off as well.

* * *

Mai sank against a wall while the others argued about where they were going to try and break down the walls to find Yuu. _Bou-san and the rest have been working all night. Naturally, they're going to get irritable as they get more tired. It's just a matter of time and Naru isn't saying anything. I don't know where he went or what he did, but he's been looking all over the place. It's almost… like he's seeing something we don't. Whatever it is, he's getting frustrated as well._ She let out a soft sigh.

"You're tired?"

Mai looked over to Ayako as she settled down beside her as well. "I'm sorry for causing trouble."

"Oh, no, no. Why don't you sleep, so you can learn more?"

"But…"

"Isn't that one way of gathering information so you can confirm Yuu's safety?"

Mai realized she was right and got a little more comfortable before closing her eyes. After a moment, she began to drift off. She appeared in the darkened mansion and grimaced at all the spirits lingering in the mansion. One bright one flew past her and circled over Naru's head as he appeared with a soft smile. He looked up at the small sparrow before looking over at Mai who resisted the urge to say something silly.

"Um, do you know where Yuu is?"

His arm was thrust out to the right at a door that the small sparrow flew towards for a moment before vanishing. Mai blinked, silently wondering if the bird was the one Yuu had mentioned but kept her gaze on Naru.

"Is she… all right?"

He didn't answer, just gave her another smile and vanished himself. Mai hesitantly approached the door and entered a tiled room, spotting Yuu in the corned, curled up.

"Yuu?" Mai hurried over and knelt before her. "Yuu?"

Yuu's hand snapped out and grabbed her wrist, a snarl appearing on her face for a moment before she seemed to recognize who it was. "M-Mai?"

Mai managed a small smile, though she worried about the grip on her arm. "Hey. I'm glad you're okay. Any injuries? Are you all right?"

Yuu let her go and sank back against the wall again, letting out a wheeze and whipping some sweat off her brow. "Not hurt yet other than skinned knuckles." She lifted her hand and Mai winced at the damage done to them. "I was trying to break the door."

"Christ, Yuu…" She murmured.

"As for i-if, I'm all right? Not really." Yuu coughed, a ragged, wheezing cough that made Mai's chest clench. "God, the smoke is terrible. You guys need to find me quickly. My fever has gone up from this morning a-and… it's hard to breathe. I don't know how this smoke works, b-but I don't think I can handle it m-much longer."

She coughed again, even worse than before and Mai swore she saw something on her hand before she pulled it out of sight.

"Go. Quickly. F-Follow that picture I left. If you find that room, the hedges are j-just past it. And tell that d-damn Naru he better not be late."

Mai cracked a smile at that but saw Yuu pale and look to the right abruptly before relaxing. Mai though didn't see anything.

"What? What is it?"

"Just a spirit," Yuu muttered, looking tired and wound up at the same time. "D-Damn things have me jumping at every little thing. T-This whole place… has me on edge."

She sagged a bit more and Mai realized she was falling asleep.

"Don't fall asleep. Yuu, we're coming! Don't give up! Yuu!"

* * *

Mai blinked awake and Ayako got up with her, mentioning something about the others moving to the next room, but Mai was hardly listening.

"Yuu is still alive," she said, gaining the others' attention. "She's not hurt, but she's sick. W-Worse than this morning, she said, and the smoke she sees is… It's hard for her to breathe." She swallowed thickly. "She said the picture she drew was what we need to look for."

"Over here!" Naru called out then, startling them into action. "Hit this wall."

"How do you—"

"Don't ask questions. I'll explain later. Just do it. We're running out of time," he snapped shortly and Yasuhara and Bou-san hastily did as he said; punching through a thin wall into the space within.

It was another entrance and upon breaking a lock, Naru led the way with the others on his tail, following after something they couldn't see. Mai remembered the sparrow then and caught up with him.

"Naru, is that bird here too? The one Yuu has?"

"Bird?" Bou-san questioned, overhearing and Naru sighed.

"Yes. There's a bird spirit that has followed Yuu around for a while. It's leading the way."

"But why was it taking so long before?" Ayako asked.

"The other spirits," Masako spoke up, trying to explain. "Even for me, it's difficult to get an accurate reading on anything in here. They may be effecting it as well."

"Either way, we need to look for what Yuu drew. Search for a room with a fireplace and—" He cut himself off and waved the group towards a door. "It flew in here."

They entered a room with a closet and Mai felt relief hit her.

"This is it!"

Naru opened the closet then and Mai's eyes widened even further.

"Naru! Yuu said there was a hedge maze past here!"

They followed a gravel path and sure enough, they stumbled upon a hedge maze.

"Hey, there's a door ahead," Bou-san called as Naru eyed the ceiling.

"This is the biggest clearing so far. As I suspected. Isn't the floor above us unnaturally high to conceal this place?"

They opened the next door to a set of stairs and Mai couldn't stand it any longer, running up them and ignoring the calls for her as she ended up in the tiled room.

"Yuu! Yuu, answer me! It's me! Where are you! Yu—" Mai slipped and caught her arm on the table as a croaky voice called out from nearby.

"M-Mai?"

"Yuu!"

Mai rushed over to the woman who hastily looked around. "Thank goodness. Are you all right?"

"Me? Where are the others? Mai, where are they?" Yuu asked frantically, startling Mai.

"They were right behind me. Yuu, what's wrong?"

"He's coming," she murmured. "Dammit, Mai. You split off from the others, didn't you? Shit, shit, shit."

"Y-Yuu, what—"

"Can't you smell it?" Yuu breathed out, eyes whipping back and forth at the room behind her, grabbing onto her arm and making to stand. "Your arm is already covered in it."

Mai looked to her arm and swallowed thickly as she spotted the dark red patch soaking into her jacket sleeve. Then, she recognized the metallic scent of blood and turned her flashlight to the rest of the room. Everything was covered in it. Blood dripped onto the floor, filled the tub and spilled over onto the tile and in the cracks. Her heart seemed to stop in her chest as the blood in the tub rippled and Yuu's whispered curses rang in her ears.

" _Shit, shit, shit,_ shit."

A wrinkled, pale white head started to come to the top of the tub; black, spindly hair falling into crazed eyes as a thin stick of a man hefted himself up.

"V-Vlad!" Mai cried out and Yuu tugged her behind her.

"Stay bac—" Yuu coughed violently, doubled over and cringing.

"Yuu!" Mai set up her hands to do a spell, but Yuu stopped her.

"Don't. It won't work."

"We have to do something!"

"Just _run_!" Yuu snapped, pushing her forward and she tried, but another curse from Yuu made her stop. "Go!"

Mai couldn't though, seeing the large black hands holding Yuu to the wall as she struggled.

"Mai, just go! Get the others!"

"I-I can't leave you."

"Yes, you can! Dammit, Mai! He's going to get you if you don't!"

Mai bit her lip, looking at the door as the wet, slaps of bare feet on the ground approached Yuu.

"Go!"

"I'm not leaving you, Yuu!" Mai finally snapped and Yuu glared heatedly at her, though the fear was obvious even now.

"I'm not even Yuu, dammit! I don't even belong here! Just leave me and go! Ah!" Yuu cried out in pain as Vlad lunged towards her and bit down harshly on her neck.

"Yuu!" Mai readied herself again, hearing the door burst open behind her.

"Mai! Yuu!"

Lin lifted his fingers to his lips, but he couldn't even let out a whistle before a streak of white dove past everyone and grew. Large wings flapped as a screech rang out from the large spirit bird as it attacked Vlad with its beak and talons. The immortal man cried out as well, falling away from Yuu as Mai grabbed her and pulled her towards the others. Vlad soon vanished though, and the bird shrank again and rushed towards Yuu, curling against her neck as the group rushed from the room. From there, they fled out the nearest window, having sensed Vlad coming after them even now and once outside, everyone let out sighs of relief.

"Man… why… did you… charge in alone?" Bou-san complained to Mai as he caught his breath.

"Yeah… sorry."

"Well… we did find her thanks to you… but our missing colleagues… they were heaped on the upstairs' room floor… like cargo, or things… Their necks were sliced."

Mai felt sick as Naru went on, moving towards Yuu.

"On top of that, the room before it was stacked with so many bones… probably from the victims. After extracting the blood, he must have cremated the remains in the incinerator… then neatly stacked them. Perhaps, Hiroyuki-shi concealed this, but one person couldn't have dealt with so many bodies."

Mai's gaze drifted to the ground. "A lot of people died… how sad…"

"Glad… I wasn't… one of them," Yuu breathed out with a weak chuckle as Naru sighed and pressed a handkerchief to her neck.

"You nearly were, moron," he huffed, pressing it to her bleeding neck. "We'll need to get your neck dealt with properly, and Mai said you were coughing?"

Yuu nodded, not even bothering to argue. "T-The smoke was… terrible."

He nodded. "You'll remain out here then. Everyone else needs to go back inside and inform the owners of what they need to do as well as start moving our things to the van."

Yuu gave a small thumbs-up as Naru looked to Masako.

"Please bring out a med kit as soon as you're able."

Masako nodded. "Of course."

Just as Ayako got up, she picked up something up from the ground near Naru.

"Naru, you dropped something."

Yuu blinked at the bracelet. "Isn't that… mine?"

"W-Why was Naru carrying it?" Mai questioned, but Naru ignored her as the others giggled, ushering her along with them back to the house.

"Aw, she's trying to hide her feelings," Bou-san snickered as Madoka cooed.

"She's concerned about him."

"What a great story."

"Stop it!" Mai complained, but unable to help the unease in her stomach as she risked a glimpse back to where Yuu and Naru were lounging quietly on the grass behind her.

 _Do they…? No, it's can't be. They just… They can't._


End file.
